Trust Me
by Glamoured By-Eric
Summary: Eric Northman had asked Sookie to trust him, had turned around and tricked her into drinking his blood on the pretext of saving his life, and now he was grieving over the loss of his maker. Can she trust him enough to help him grieve?
1. Chapter 1

**Trust Me**

**Chapter 1**

_A/N: Okay, now I know I mentioned in my profile that I would only write about the SVM book series, but after watching episode 9 ("I Will Rise Up") of True Blood—many times, I might add—I felt I had to write this. I would also like to thank my beta for catching the little things that I missed._

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'Trust me,' he'd said at the church. They were two simple words that implied he was worthy of my trust. I had wanted to believe him, but I had seen a side of Eric Northman that scared me. While we were all worried sick about what might have happened to my friend, Lafayette, Eric had locked him up and tortured him for weeks in the basement at Fangtasia.

At the time, I had been so angry with him that I had put aside my fear and slapped him across the face. Let's face it. He had deserved it. He had probably even left Ginger there, knowing I'd read her mind again and find out that he had Lafayette chained up in the basement. Then I had let him maneuver me into working for him again in exchange for Lafayette's freedom. The more I thought about it, the more I knew that is exactly what he had done. I could be so gullible at times.

When we had arrived in Dallas, Bill and I had discovered that he had booked a room for us that didn't even have a bed, knowing that we were lovers. The man could be infuriating at times. Not only that, but he had booked his own room right across the hall from ours. He even interrupted us when we were about to make love and ordered Bill to meet him in the bar. He has always seemed determined to cause problems for us. The big A-hole.

I had confronted Eric at Godric's welcome home get together about his allowing me to infiltrate the Fellowship of the Sun, when he had known full well that I was walking into a trap. Yes, I know it had been my suggestion to go in the first place, but he had jumped on that bandwagon like white on rice.

I had always thought that Eric's heart, if he even had one, was as cold as a cast iron commode. But I had come to realize that somewhere deep down inside there was a part of his humanity that still had the capacity for love. I had seen for myself just how much he loved Godric and to what lengths he would go to secure the safety of his maker. Even though I was pissed at him for involving me and Bill, I knew that he would have done anything for Godric, even, finally, letting him go.

I had climbed the stairs to the roof of Hotel Carmilla in time to hear part of Eric's conversation with Godric, at least the parts that were spoken in English.

"Two thousand years is enough."

"I can't accept this. It's insanity!" exclaimed Eric, vehemently.

"Our existence is insanity. We don't belong here."

"But we _are_ here!" Eric yelled back.

"It's not right. We're not right," Godric stated.

"You taught me there is no right or wrong. Only survival… or death," said Eric angrily.

"I told a lie, as it turns out," admitted Godric.

"I will keep you alive by force," threatened Eric, moving menacingly closer to Godric.

"Even if you could, why would you be so cruel?" asked Godric.

With amazement, I heard Eric's voice change as he spoke in another language, pleading with Godric. I was further shocked that Eric's voice had broken as I watched him fall down on his knees and bend his head forward, nearly touching Godric's leg.

They spoke to each other as Eric sobbed and pleaded with Godric. Whatever Godric said to him, Eric couldn't answer. Finally Godric said in English, "Let me go."

I saw Eric swallow then slowly raise his head, and he surprised me again as he said, "I won't let you die alone." Was he really offering to meet the sun with Godric? He loved him that much?

Godric answered, "Yes you will." Eric had lowered his head again, and I could see his shoulders shaking with grief. Godric's hand moved to touch Eric's hair as Eric sobbed. Seeing this high and mighty vampire sheriff brought to his knees and weeping in pain, nearly made my heart break as well. Perhaps my dream about Eric had some truth to it. He _was_ a big faker. Maybe he wasn't a lost cause. Even after what he had done to me after the bombing, my heart just went out to him.

As Eric looked back up, Godric's hand slid to Eric's neck as he said, "As your maker, I command you."

Eric had stood up then and walked away from Godric toward me. When he stood close by me, he looked back at Godric. I took Eric's hand in mine and promised him that I would stay with him. That is exactly what I did after Eric left.

Controlling my emotions as I descended the stairs from the roof took considerable effort on my part. When I finally arrived on our floor, I found myself thinking about how much Eric must be hurting right now. If the connection between a maker and his progeny was as strong as Eric told me it could be, then he must have felt Godric's passing the moment it happened. I glanced across the hall when I got to my room and saw that the door to Eric's room was slightly ajar. I knew I should just go and get in bed with Bill, but I felt that I needed to check on Eric before I did.

As I pushed open his door, I walked inside and closed it softly behind me. I moved past the lounge area of the suite to the bedroom, where I found Eric sitting shirtless on the side of the bed. He was hunched over staring down at nothing. I walked over to stand in front of him and saw that his red tears had streaked down his cheeks, neck, and even his chest. I had to do something, so I reached out my hand, touching his shoulder, and said, "Eric."

"I know. It is over. He is gone," replied Eric.

"I…I'm sorry for your loss."

When he didn't speak and his shoulder started to tremble beneath my hand, I took my other hand and lifted it to his chin and raised his head so that I could see into his eyes. God, he looked like shit. His eyes were bloodshot, and a fresh tear was starting to roll down his face. As his mouth trembled slightly, I moved a little closer, took my hand off his shoulder and used my thumb to wipe away the tear. He just swallowed as he looked up at me, looking like a lost little boy.

I leaned down and gently kissed his forehead, then the bridge of his nose, and finally his cheek before I lifted my head again. As we looked at each other, he grasped my arm firmly yet gently, moved his other hand up to my neck, rested his forehead against mine and held me close to him.

"He told me he was full of joy. I don't even think he suffered at the end," I said softly.

Eric pulled me even closer as his trembling lips sought out mine. In my heart, I knew it was wrong, but I found myself responding, nevertheless. It wasn't exactly passionate at first, but was more comforting than anything, as our lips met each other in an easy yet questioning manner. As I pulled his upper lip in between my own and returned his kiss, I noticed how different he tasted from Bill.

I don't remember how I moved from standing in front of him to being lowered on the bed next to him, with him hovering over me, but that is where I ended up. He moved his right hand up and fisted it through my hair and deepened his kiss. No, he definitely tasted different, and Jesus H. Christ on a popsicle stick, this man knew how to kiss. I just knew that centuries of living had obviously been put to good use in this area and found myself feeling about him the way I had felt during my recent dream. A very good dream it had been at that. Not nearly as good as the reality, though.

How long we lay there with our mouths and tongues exploring, I wasn't sure. Eric did let me come up for air as he raised his head and looked down at me. He lowered his lips to my jaw, moved down my jaw line to my ear, and nibbled on it with his teeth. His tongue licked the vein along my neck, and I felt his teeth graze lightly there. His weight was pressing me down into the mattress as his lips stopped moving on my neck. When he didn't move, I moved my head toward him. He had finally succumbed to the dawn and was at rest.

Repositioning myself slightly, I found that I could enjoy gazing upon Eric Northman without all the masks he perpetually wore to distance himself from others. Even with the dried blood on his face, he was beautiful and very tempting. I ran my hand through his hair, traced the contours of his features, and ran my fingers over his exposed flesh. I sighed and realized I should get back to Bill.

Stroking his hair one final time, I eased out from under him and slid off the bed and leaned over to make him more comfortable. After sliding off his shoes, I rolled him so he was lying on his back. I went into the bathroom and wet a washcloth; walking back into the bedroom, I sat on the bed next to him and wiped the blood from his face, neck and chest. When he was all cleaned up, I pulled the comforter up over him, even though I knew vampires didn't feel the cold. It just seemed the right thing to do.

As I leaned in to give Eric a little goodbye kiss, I was amazed when he actually stirred and muttered, "Sookie."

Back in my room, I undressed and climbed in next to Bill. I was feeling a little guilty for enjoying the time I had spent with Eric. Mostly, I just wondered if Eric would find the will to go on without his maker. I found that I didn't want him to meet the sun like Godric.

"You will care for him? Eric?" Godric had asked. Could I do that? How would I ever be able to trust him after he had lied to me and had interfered with my relationship with Bill? Maybe, just maybe, Eric needed to trust me before I could trust him.

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TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Trust Me**

**Chapter 2 (Eric)**

As I stirred into wakefulness at dusk, the empty hole inside me opened like a deep, bottomless chasm, an open wound that would not be healed. I had to accept Godric's death, and I was done with tears. Living my life from here forward, would be difficult knowing that Godric was no longer in it. He had given me a choice all those years ago, a choice to be his companion through the years. Although we had lived separate lives after several centuries, we still kept in touch and relived the old times together. I would sorely miss the man who had called me his father, his son, and his brother. That is exactly what Godric and I had been for each other. I knew I would always feel the gap in my psyche that his final death had caused.

Godric had taught me how to survive as an immortal and also how to protect myself. Anything we did to survive had always been the right thing to do. Right and wrong, they had no meaning for us, yet he had claimed last night that he had lied to me. Had he lied? Why would he have lied?

I sighed and moved my arm above my head. We had needed more time. If only he had confided in me, perhaps I could understand and accept that he had wanted to meet the sun. It had been a while since we had communicated, but we had always been able to tell each other everything. When and where had doing what was morally and ethically right come into play? What had changed him so profoundly in the last eight months? Why were we, as supernatural beings, suddenly 'wrong'? Just when had humans become more than sustenance for us? As a general rule, I had nothing but disdain for them.

Perhaps she held the answers. Bill's human. She had stayed with Godric at the end. What had he shared with her during those last moments? I needed to speak with her to find out. All these thoughts and questions kept running through my head, and I closed my eyes for a moment, remembering how she had tasted. Her lips. Her skin.

I could still smell her intoxicating scent on my own skin and on the cool sheets of the bed. Surprisingly, I had gone to rest while I was still kissing her soft, curved neck. It had been a perfect opportunity to bind her further to me, and I had blown it by collapsing on her for my daily rest. What was wrong with me? Had losing Godric made me weak?

As I opened my eyes and sat up a little further on the pillows, the comforter fell down to my waist, and I noticed that she had bathed the blood from my skin and tucked me into bed like a child. Why would she do that especially after I had lied to her and tricked her the day before? Had she felt sorry for me? Was that why she had come last night? Was that why she had kissed me so tenderly that it had made me ache? If that was the case, then I didn't want her pity.

No, I would have sensed if it had been pity. What I had read from her, as she leaned down to kiss my forehead, was her understanding and empathy. Had she lost someone recently herself?

I had not wanted her to leave. Her touch had been oddly comforting and soothed the emptiness I had been feeling. In my pain, I had reached out for her and pulled her back to gently seek out her lips. I had felt the beginning of curiosity and interest on her part, and surprisingly, I felt an odd stirring within myself; something other than lust that I could not quite identify. If I were to be completely honest with myself, my interest in Sookie was not solely about her telepathic abilities.

There had been something unique about her from the moment Pam had leaned over to enlighten me that Bill Compton was in the club accompanied by a human named Sookie Stackhouse. She had also informed me that this Sookie was asking questions, in my club, about murdered women in Bon Temps _without_ going through me.

Bill knew better. As his sheriff, I should have been informed that he was back from New Orleans the moment he had crossed the boundary into my area. Glancing intently at the woman, I was surprised to find that she was very attractive. I drew Bill's gaze and summoned him to bring her to me.

I had noticed that the closer she moved toward me, the more my interest in her had been piqued. Those large, beautiful eyes, full of excitement, were not afraid. Nervous perhaps, but definitely not afraid. The white sun dress with the little red flowers acutely accentuated those creamy mounds which pushed up out of the top of her bodice. I had wanted to fist my hands into her hair and drink from her. Definitely had wanted to fuck her. The thought of fucking her senseless alone had me picturing her naked beneath me, without that dress from last night that had looked more like a tablecloth from a 1960s diner than a dress. Interesting fashion sense, that one.

I smiled, wondering if Sookie had the sense to shower before she got into bed with Bill. Seeing his expression when he woke up and smelled me all over her, would have been worth another fist to my jaw. The sound of my own laughter filled the room. It would be almost as good as the look on Bill's face when he saw Sookie sucking silver out of my chest. Another wedge between the two of them would certainly be in order.

Pity that bringing Lorena into the mix had backfired to the point where Sookie herself had been threatened. Poor planning on my part. I had miscalculated by assuming she could control him as his maker.

Sookie had stood up to Lorena like a lioness protecting her cubs. She was definitely a spitfire where people she cared about were concerned. I should know that by now. I'd certainly witnessed it before when she confronted me about Lafayette. Something I still find… very curious.

If I hadn't been so distracted by the Godric situation last night, I would have taken care of that little upstart, Bill Compton, for daring to assault his sheriff. Maybe I'd turn him over to Pam to play with when I returned to Shreveport. She would enjoy that immensely. On second thought, though fun, that would not work to my advantage, especially, if I wanted to win favor with Sookie. I sighed aloud and got out of bed.

Thinking about Sookie had made me hard. As I started for the bathroom, I rubbed the length of my cock through my jeans a few times. In the bathroom, I had just unhooked the button of my jeans and had started to unzip them, when someone knocked on my door. I walked to the door, and upon opening it, I found Isabel standing there looking at the door across the hall.

"Hello, Eric. May I come in?" she asked, turning to look at me.

"Of course," I replied, moving aside to allow her in. I was about to close the door when I heard raised voices across the hall.

"His scent is all over you, Sookie! How could you let him touch you after what he did to you earlier? He tied you to him. How could you be so stupid a second time?"

Isabel started to say something, and I put my finger to my lips to indicate we should just listen and grinned at her as I held the door ajar.

"Don't you dare call me stupid, Bill Compton! It is one thing for me to say it about myself, but _you_ will not call _me_ stupid. What I did was not stupid. He was hurting last night. I will not apologize for giving him some comfort. You didn't see him, Bill. He was not faking. And while we're at it, you could have picked a better time to hit him than you did last night. Why didn't you just do it after he tricked me? Were you trying to prove something by waiting for him to be distracted and then blindsiding him?"

Isabel rolled her eyes, and I just grinned even more. Sookie was actually defending me. This was good.

"I told you that he's had years to practice his deceitfulness. He probably left that door open so that you _would_ check on him. Did you ever consider that?"

I wish I'd had enough clarity last night to have planned what played out, but I had been too overcome to even contemplate it. It had not even occurred to me to wonder how Sookie had access to my room. Odd that I had been so careless.

"He may have tricked me into sucking out the silver, but he was not trying to trick me when I went in to check on him. I know this in my heart."

Bill said nothing, so I heard Sookie continue, "I didn't have sex with him, Bill. I just gave him a little comfort. He needed someone. He'd just lost his lifelong companion. He had a much different relationship with his maker than you did, Bill. I didn't give you grief over Lorena or bitch at you for not coming to my rescue, now did I? Don't you trust me? I love you. I would not sleep with someone else while I was involved with you. Get a grip!"

"Sookie, I'm not accusing you of sleeping with him. I just don't like that he is interfering with us like he is. He's a part of you now. I saw the way you were looking at him last night at the debriefing. Have you been having sex dreams about him yet?"

She hesitated just long enough to let me know that she had before she answered Bill, "That is none of your business, Bill."

I had heard enough, so I closed the door and tried to hide my glee at this development.

"Eric Northman," said Isabel, clicking her tongue. "Not interested in Sookie? You look way too happy that she and Compton are fighting for someone who has no interest."

I sidestepped her comment by saying, "Anything that irritates Bill Compton is… agreeable to me."

"Yes, I see that," she replied, a little sarcastically. "So, what did Sookie mean by saying that Godric is gone? Where is he?"

It was still difficult for me to think about his passing, but I explained the decision he had made. She sat down heavily on the sofa and leaned forward with her head in her hands. "I can't believe that he would… that he is…"

I sat down next to her and said, turning toward her, "I can stay for a day or so to help you with the transition. I think you will make a good sheriff. You were more the voice of reason in the whole affair. You are no Godric, but you will do."

She gave a half-hearted laugh and said, "Thanks for the vote of confidence, but my judgment regarding Hugo was flawed." She paused, then continued, "No, I could never fill Godric's shoes. I will miss him. He was a good sheriff. We have all lost something in this. Some more than others."

"Yes, some more than others. Your human? You miss him?"

"Yes, very much. I hate him for what he did, but I can't suddenly turn off the way I feel about him otherwise. He was the best thing that ever…in all my long life…"

She didn't finish. Raising her face to look at me, I saw the red tear threatening to fall. I flashed back to the night before and leaned in to kiss her lips gently, much like Sookie had kissed me. Isabel kissed me back. Then she made a sound in the back of her throat, and her hands were fisting in my hair. She straddled me and bit my jaw. Fuck, that felt good.

We tore into each other like animals, clothing flying everywhere. I kicked the coffee table out of the way as we fell onto the floor, and it broke into splinters against the fireplace. I really didn't care. We were too busy, growling, biting, and fucking. We went several rounds, then broke apart to lie next to one another.

"God, I needed that," said Isabel.

"Yes, I did as well," I admitted. I did feel a little better. She wasn't Sookie, but she was what I had needed at the moment. I know that Bill loved her. He'd practically made a fool of himself over her. I simply didn't care how Bill felt. One day, Sookie would be mine. Just what lengths would I be willing to take to have her in my life?

I had told Sookie that I didn't know what love was. As I looked at Isabel and reflected on our conversation the other night, I began to wonder. Maybe there was something to having a human companion _if_ the companion were worthy. I just didn't know if I would or could ever feel that way myself. I had felt something, though, when she had comforted me, and it was definitely a beginning.

TBC

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A/N: _Thank you for all the lovely reviews for the first chapter. I was amazed at how many of you read and reviewed. It is very rewarding to read your opinions. A special thank you goes out to my beta for her assistance._

_Being more of a fan of the book series, I have not actually read any of the other strictly True Blood fics out there, but I will endeavor to stick to the path set forth in the True Blood series for this fic. I just felt that True Blood was not doing justice to the Eric Northman character. Alexander Skarsgard does portray him beautifully, but True Blood Eric is so out of character with book Eric that I felt I needed to write this for those of us who miss the Eric that we have admired from the novels. We're only just seeing glimpses of book Eric in True Blood._

_Eric and Sookie purists please don't give me a hard time for letting Eric have a little fun in this chapter. We all know he is a ladies man. "Where ever I go…there will always be women." He hasn't fallen for her yet and has been through an ordeal because of Godric, so he is entitled to a bit of fun; Sookie is still with Bill, at least, for the moment._


	3. Chapter 3

Trust Me

Chapter 3 (Sookie)

_Eric was kissing me again, but this time his kiss deepened as one hand found my cheek, and the other found the strap __ of my dress and slid it off my shoulder. He traced his fingers down my arm and back up again, and then moved his hand to my shoulder, only to trail it down to my bodice as he lightly stroked the swell of my breast. He tore his lips from mine, rose above me, and bared his fangs. He looked down at me as if asking for my permission before he continued. I reached up tentatively to move my fingers over his fangs and lips. We just looked at each other, and then he __lowered his head__ to the bodice of my dress and used his fangs to pull the fabric down and expose one breast to his view._

_I grew warmer as he looked at the flesh he'd exposed, and he smiled, moving__ his face__ toward my chest, as he took my nipple between his normal front teeth and pulled lightly. Delicious heat shot down through my chest, down my stomach and lower, making me moan involuntarily. Then his tongue lathed my nipple as his free hand drew up the fabric of my dress. I should have felt mortified when he trailed his fingers lightly up my inner thigh, cupped his hand over my sex and began stroking me through the silk fabric. Somehow, that wasn't what I was feeling__. I shifted my legs restlessly as he __slipped__ his fingers under the fabric and found me. He maneuvered two fingers inside my innermost reaches and used his thumb to manipulate my clit as his mouth claimed mine again and sent my head spinning._

_Murmuring a satisfied sound in the back of his throat, pleased that I knew how to properly kiss a vampire with his fangs fully extended, the stroke of his tongue seemed to penetrate my very being. When I was close, he moved his lips to my throat and kissed down to my exposed breast, and as his fingers changed up their rhythm, his thumb pressed down on my clit as he bit into my breast._

I heard myself moaning Eric's name until Eric morphed into an angry Bill.

"Sookie, wake up!" growled Bill, shaking me. "Do you hear me? Wake up!"

"Bill? Wha… what is it?" I asked, trying to shake off my sleep and sex befuddled mind as I sat up.

"You were moaning Eric's name out loud! His scent is all over you, Sookie! How could you let him touch you after what he did to you earlier? He tied you to him. How could you be so stupid a second time?"

At this point, I sat up and pretty much lost it and let Mr. Bill Compton know exactly what I thought. How dare he call me stupid? It was one thing for me to say it last night, but just _who_ did he think _he_ was?

I gave him a piece of my mind and let him know that I hadn't slept with Eric. I really didn't think he needed to know that Eric and I had kissed, but I did reassure him that I would not cheat on him while we were dating. Explaining to him that Eric had been in bad shape last night was no exaggeration. He'd been a royal mess and had needed a friend. When Bill asked me if I'd been having dreams about Eric, I blushed furiously, remembering the dream I'd just had, then replied, "That is none of your business, Bill."

"I see. Well, then, I can see that you have been. I could kill him for what he has done to you," hissed Bill.

"Yeah, well, get in line. By the way, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about since we talked after the bombing. After I drank your blood, you told me I would be healthier and my libido would be up. If what you said about Eric's blood is true, about me being attracted to him, then wouldn't your blood have done the same to me? I can remember having some rather distinctive dreams about you after having your blood."

Bill can usually mask some things, but the look on his face gave away a lot. "Yes, but I did it to save your life, not to prove my superiority over another vampire."

Something about what Bill was saying wasn't ringing true to me. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I brushed it aside. "Yes, you did, didn't you?" I sighed, and continued, "Bill, please, let's not fight anymore. I just can't do this with you right now. It has been a difficult few days here dealing with everything. I need things to get back to normal. Can we please go home?"

"I've already booked a flight for us on Anubis. The flight leaves in five hours. Would that be acceptable?"

"Sure," I said.

He sat down on the bed beside me and looked at me contritely, as he reached his hand out to place it over mine. "I apologize, Sookie, for waking you up in such a manner. I am not sure what came over me. I just hate what he is doing to us. That's one reason I wanted us to leave the other night. Eric was so single-minded about Godric that I knew he would put you in danger."

"I know. Though some of his actions, I can kind of understand. He cared about his maker, Bill. Deeply. He was devoted to him in a way I have not seen before. It really surprised me. I did not think anything would ever faze him. You weren't on that rooftop with us, Bill."

"At your request, remember?"

"I remember. Godric did keep me safe, though, just like I said he would. I talked with him before he met the sun. I learned a thing or two as well. About him. About Eric."

"Well, just don't get too comfortable with Eric. He's capable of a lot."

"Yes, I imagine he is. So are you. Do you remember telling me that you were 'vampire,' as if that explained everything away? You also said there was good _and_ evil in people."

"Yes, I…" he started.

I could tell that Bill was going to drag out this conversation, so I added, "Can we please just forget about Eric? Although I did see another side of him last night, as you well know, I'm not too happy with Eric myself for what he did. In fact, after this, I'd prefer not to work for him anymore. I can't really trust him."

What I really meant was that although I didn't trust Eric, I wasn't sure I could trust myself alone with him after last night. He'd had more of an effect on me than I cared to admit. The dreams were not helping in that regard.

"Certainly," replied Bill as he leaned over to kiss me on the cheek. "I'm going to go take a shower."

"Okay," I replied and laid my head back on the pillow. As I moved, I felt the moistness between my legs and felt like I'd just had an orgasm. These dreams were going to be a problem, I could see. I grabbed a tissue and wiped away the moisture and tossed it into the trash can.

I remembered Eric kneeling before Godric, begging with him, and then the way he had looked after I'd kissed his forehead and nose. Lost. I wondered how he was doing this evening. The more I thought about it, the more I needed to talk to Eric. I picked up the phone and called his room. No one answered. I got a little panicky. Would he have done something stupid?

I got up and threw on a hotel robe, glanced at the closed bathroom door, opened the door of our room, and padded across the hall. I was about to knock when I heard the ruckus just inside. Growling. Grunting. Something crashed, and I heard a woman yelling, "Yes, harder. Yes. Yes. Bite me!"

Oh my lord! He… he was having… he had a woman in there with him! I closed my mouth and found myself blushing as my nipples hardened. It was just wrong that hearing Eric with another woman was turning me on. What am I even doing out here listening to this? I dashed back into our room, closed the door, and stood there shaking as I leaned against it, breathing heavily.

Well, he had certainly recovered quickly from his grief. I knew he wasn't exactly a saint, not with his good looks and confidence. Good looks? Who was I kidding? The man was so hot that he would make me melt like butter, even if I was in the middle of a blizzard. I shouldn't be feeling this way about Eric when I was with someone else.

I pushed away from the door, went into Jessica's room to her bathroom, dropped my robe and got into her shower, turning on the water. It was cold at first, which was probably good the way my libido was hopping up and down, as I let the water wash over and through me. Hopefully, it would cool me off.

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Downstairs in the hotel lounge, waiting for our table, Bill had gone to get us something to drink at the bar. I leaned back and closed my eyes, and then felt someone sit down beside me, lean up against my shoulder, and kiss me on the cheek.

"That was fast, Bill," I said as I smiled, then opened my eyes and looked into Eric's blue eyes. He smiled back, as I felt myself stiffen and recoil a bit from him.

"I never thought I would ever be mistaken for Bill. We look so different. I must say that I am wounded," he kidded with a twinkle in his eye.

"Wounded my ass," I retorted. "You weren't in any pain earlier when I came to check on you."

"Miss Stackhouse, you came to check on me? How regrettable that I was otherwise… engaged."

"Yes, I guess you didn't need checking on after all."

"If I didn't know better, I would swear you almost sound jealous," Eric teased.

"Jealous? Me? You must be joking. I just wanted to make sure… last night, well, you were not exactly yourself."

"So, you were… worried about me?" he questioned with his eyebrows raised.

"I don't know why I should have been. You've recovered quite well. Almost as well as you did the other night when you were supposedly dying from silver poisoning."

"Ah, yes. Well, I will admit that I pressed my advantage there. I saw an opportunity, and I took it."

"I'm still angry at you about that. I hope you know that our agreement to have me work for you whenever you want is over. You asked me to trust you, Eric. Remember? At the church? How do you expect to gain my trust if you use trickery to manipulate me into doing things for you? If you ever want me to have any respect for you, then you must earn my trust."

"I will keep that under advisement. I actually came to see you to thank you for last night. I appreciated you staying with Godric so that he would not have to be alone. I realize it must not have been easy for you. I also appreciate that you stopped by last evening. I… thank you."

I looked at him and saw that he was being sincere for once. "You're welcome, Eric. I try to be there for my friends."

Eric looked at me like I was nuts. "You call me your friend? That's just…" he started.

"Crazy? Maybe, but I think you need a friend." I couldn't believe that had just come out of my mouth. Maybe I was nuts. How could I be offering to be his friend when I couldn't really trust him? I must be out of my mind.

He seemed to think that over, and then he asked, "Would you… meet with me sometime, when we get back home, to talk to me about Godric? I would like to know more about what happened after I left."

"Maybe. Do you think you can behave yourself?"

He looked sideways at me, smiled, leaned in, and whispered throatily, "Can you?"

He'd actually had the audacity to sniff me, as he had leaned in, and his words floated straight into my ears and crept into my face and neck. I blushed down to my toes, started shaking, and was glad to see Bill walking quickly over to us carrying a blood and my drink. "Eric, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, just keeping Miss Stackhouse company until you returned."

"Yes, I see that. You seem to show up at the most _convenient_ times. I thought I made myself clear about that last night." Bill's tone on _convenient_ sounded like he meant quite the opposite.

"I'm sure you meant that in a respectful way, Bill," answered Eric.

"Of course," said Bill, sarcastically.

"Well, I must fly," said Eric as he leaned forward and turned toward me. "Miss Stackhouse, always a pleasure. I will see you soon." He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it, winking at me, all the while rubbing his thumb across my palm. It was such an intimate gesture that I caught my breath at the feeling it evoked. I saw Eric looking up at Bill and grinning when he saw Bill had bared his fangs. He looked at Bill, and simply said, "Bill." He nodded and left.

I sighed and could see from Bill's expression that dinner was going to be a long affair. I couldn't wait to get back home to Bon Temps to the peace and quiet of my own home and away from the combustion of Dallas.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Trust Me**

**Chapter 4 (Eric)**

After Isabel and I had fucked each other senseless, she turned toward me--her bare skin almost glowing in the firelight--propped her head up on her hand, elbow bent, and looked at me. I turned my head toward her and smiled.

"Feeling a little better, are we?" she asked.

"Great sex always makes me feel better," I admitted.

"So, tell me Eric. How long have you been attracted to Sookie?" Before I could speak, she added, "Do not tell me again that you are not interested in her. I could smell her on your skin and breath, and she was seen sucking silver out of you right after the bombing. What did you do the other night?"

I sighed and rolled over on my side to face her. Not usually one for sharing, I chose my words carefully. "Sookie is too… multi-faceted for the likes of Bill Compton. He may have convinced himself that he cares for her, even finding the strength to stand up to his maker for her, but I suspect that there is something else going on there. He's nearly slipped up a time or two with his comments to me, even actively kept me away from her, and I plan to get to the bottom of it."

"So, giving her your blood is getting to the bottom of it?" Isabel inquired demurely.

"Let's just say that I am merely giving her… other options."

"As cryptic as ever, are you not?"

"Occasionally," I admitted and grinned.

"When you and Bill left the room to talk the other night, Sookie and I had a chance to talk a bit about her relationship with Bill. She can be very… chatty once she relaxes."

"Yes, she can be, though I haven't seen her friendlier side very often."

"She met Bill at the bar where she works. She overheard two humans plotting to drain Bill and went outside to find him after she noticed that they had left the building. She used a heavy metal chain, and confronted the humans. Apparently, there was an altercation, and she injured one of them and rescued Bill from where they had him chained to the ground with silver and were draining his blood."

"Compton let two scrawny humans chain him with silver, and a mere female rescued him?" I repeated out loud, and then I laughed. What an idiot! How humiliating! I could not believe that someone such as he had attracted Sookie Stackhouse. "What else did she tell you?"

"Did you know that the two humans that were draining Bill later attacked Sookie in the parking lot where she works, and that she was nearly beaten to death right after she and Bill met?"

"No, surprisingly, I did not. So, he fed her his blood to heal her?" I asked, already suspecting the answer.

"Yes, he did," she confirmed.

"Interesting. Very… interesting. How thoughtful of Sookie to share that information with you." Some of the cogs were starting to fit into place. No wonder she had fallen for him so quickly. The little bastard. He'd had the audacity to be put out because I had given her _my_ blood? How convenient that he was there in the nick of time to save her with his blood. I would have to look into this more thoroughly.

Isabel turned serious as my thoughts were whirling inside my head like a tornado with this revelation. "Eric, humans have a deep capacity to feel and to love. Just remember that. Sometimes, having one in your life is more rewarding than you could ever imagine. I just wish that Hugo could have trusted me more with his insecurities. Perhaps things would have turned out differently between us. Mutual trust is one of the most powerful things to have between two people, whether they are human or vampire. Without it, you have nothing."

"You cannot always predict what humans will do. They are irrational beings full of emotions that I have difficulty relating to. I find that Sookie is unusual. Attractive, undoubtedly, but in a word, she is... plucky. She can look me in the eye and call me to task for things that she does not like about me. Very spirited, that one."

"You are enjoying this cat and mouse game with her, aren't you? Just be careful that once the mouse is caught, she does not tame the cat."

I couldn't help it. I laughed. "I'm an opportunist, not a feline."

Then a thought occurred to me, and I continued, "Speaking of mice, let me return the favor for your information about Sookie. She sent a young man to Compton's room to let him know the whereabouts of herself and Godric while she was being held captive. The only way she could have contacted anyone was telepathically. I believe the young man works here, since she hasn't been in contact with anyone other than us, the Fellowship or the hotel staff. If he is a telepath like Sookie, he might be a useful asset to you here in Dallas. Something for _you_ to consider."

"Interesting. Thank you, Eric. I will certainly look into that."

--------------------

Later that evening, I heard Sookie and Bill in the hallway making plans to go to the dining room. Hoping to find a moment to chat alone with Sookie, I quickly changed clothes and went downstairs. When I arrived, my timing couldn't have been better. Sookie had just gotten comfortable on a high-backed lounger, and Bill was walking away from her toward the bar. Moving quickly, I sat down next to her, leaned in, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She smelled like fresh soap and vanilla cream.

Her eyes were closed as she leaned into my side, smiled, and unfortunately, called me by Bill's name. The sweet way she said it made me want to hear her say my name like she did his. What the fuck?

When her eyes focused on me, they widened as she quickly moved away from me. I immediately picked up several things coming from her. She was surprised that it was me and was slightly annoyed. She had drawn in her breath, and her heart rate had picked up.

I baited and teased her, enjoying our easy, back-and-forth banter.

She went for accusatory and didn't hold back on giving me a piece of her mind, but she also interlaced it with the fact that she had been worried about me and had checked on me. Then I felt traces of jealousy, guilt, betrayal, and a hint of arousal coming from her as she spoke. It was hard to concentrate on what she was saying to me and still respond coherently.

Even though I knew she was angry with me, I found myself thanking her for taking time last night to offer comfort to me for my loss. It had meant more to me than she would ever know.

"You're welcome, Eric. I try to be there for my friends," she said.

I was incredulous. She was calling me her friend after everything I had done recently? Had she lost her human mind? "You call me your friend? That's just…" I started to say, but she cut me off.

"Crazy? Maybe, but I think you need a friend," she continued.

I wasn't sure what to think about that. Why would she possibly trust me after I had tricked her last night? I finally looked at her and asked, "Would you… meet with me sometime, when we get back home, to talk to me about Godric? I would like to know more about what happened after I left."

"Maybe. Do you think you can behave yourself?" she asked, cockily, as her blonde hair bounced around her shoulders.

She had just thrown down the glove, and I was only too happy to pick it up. I looked at her, smiled, leaned in, and whispered in the sexist voice I could muster, "Can you?"

I took a deep whiff of her as I leaned close so that I would have something to remember. I got distracted by the blood pumping through the veins in her throat and swallowed hard, remembering her lying face down at the club with the smell of her open wound filling the bar only a few days ago. Even with the poison infusing her system, her bouquet had been intoxicatingly sweet; enough so that I had offered to be the one to heal her. Bill had not appreciated that in the least. He had no sense of humor whatsoever.

Her body's scent changed at my words, and I sensed heightened desire coming from her. It was a pity that we could not continue our verbal dueling, but I could see, out of the corner of my eye, that Bill was approaching. Poor Billy. He was definitely not pleased to see me.

We exchanged pleasantries, if you could call them that, and I deliberately kissed and fondled Sookie's hand in front of Bill not only because it pleased me to touch her skin, but also because it would annoy him and would let him know that he could not get away with sucker punching me tonight like he had the night before. It would also inform him that I would not back down because he had, as he said, 'made his point.' As I stood up and towered over Bill, I saw his fangs and smiled. I looked down at him, and holding his gaze, said, "Bill."

He did finally nod his head in deference to me as his sheriff, and I left in a very good mood. I smiled at the certainty that Sookie definitely wanted me, even though she was with Bill, and that Bill was annoyed because he knew it, too. "Ah Bill, too soon, 'ipsa se fraus, etiamsi initio cautior fuerit, detegit'."

My night was complete. I whistled as I left the lounge and went to wrap up my affairs in Dallas.

It did not take as long as I thought it might. Isabel had taken her new role as sheriff in stride and was juggling Nan, the vampires under her, and the Department of Homeland Security with aplomb.

Since I was no longer needed, I went up to the roof and looked around, remembering my last moments with Godric. There was white fabric, twisting in the wind, wrapped around the rung of the handrail at the top of the stairs. I unraveled it, recognizing Godric's shirt. I held it to my nose and inhaled his familiar scent, remembering the good times we had together. I took the shirt with me as I lifted off and flew back to Shreveport, arriving just before dawn. It was good to be back. I went to rest thinking about Godric and Sookie.

TBC

-------------------

A/N: 'Ipsa se fraus, etiamsi initio cautior fuerit, detegit' is Latin for "Treachery, though at first very cautious, in the end betrays itself."--Titus Livy, _Annales_ (XLIV, 15)


	5. Chapter 5

**Trust Me**

A/N: _Just a quick note to explain this chapter. This is just a summing up of the events toward the end of the season. It isn't meant to rip off the series, by any means. So, please bear with me through this until I can get on to events after the season finale._

Chapter 5 (Sookie)

"So, you've been workin' for that tall vampire who owns the bar in Shreveport? The one I met at the party before the bomb went off?" asked Jason, after we were all loaded in the van.

"That's right."

"He seems nice, but he's a little scary. He… well, never mind. How long you been doin' that?"

"Well, not too long. Just a couple of times in the last few weeks."

"How'd that happen?"

"Well, it's kind of complicated. It didn't seem like I had a choice at first, but I agreed to help him with a personnel problem at his club. Then I agreed to help Eric in Dallas to free Lafayette.

"Free Lafayette? What happened to Lafayette?"

"He was selling V, and Eric found out. Eric kept him chained up in the basement of the club for about three weeks. They fed on him and scared him half to death. Plus, he'd been shot."

"Damn. Just for sellin' V? That's a bit extreme, don't ya think?" said Jason, looking guilty about something, almost like he had after hearing that Maudette was dead. I couldn't help it, and suddenly I was in his mind.

_Fuck! I'm gonna have to start carrying a gun. If Eric did that to Lafayette just for sellin', then I'm lucky he didn't do worse than warn me not to buy and use V again. Holy shit! If he ever finds out that Amy and I kidnapped Eddie and that Amy staked him, my life is fuckin' over. I musta been out of my fuckin' mind to get involved in that messa crazy._

"You kidnapped and staked a vampire? Jason, do you have a death wish? You're lucky Eric didn't do more than warn you about the V! If he knew…"

"I told you before. Stay outta of my head! You have no right to be there. I didn't exactly kidnap or stake him. It was all Amy's idea. I didn't want to… I can't talk no more 'bout this. Just leave me be. It ain't gonna happen no more."

"Well, it had better not, because you are the only family I have left. I need you in my life."

My words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Jason closed down and looked out the window. After a few minutes, he reflected, "It makes me wonder, though. You know if he might'a been the one that Dawn had sex with."

"Excuse me?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Eric. I'm wondering if he was the one that Dawn said could keep it up all night. She was bragging to me how some vampire at the bar with a lot of hair was the best sex she'd ever had. Kind of pissed me off at the time, especially when she'd told me I was the best then threw that vampire in my face. Couldn't be him, though. He doesn't have a lot of hair."

Okay, this was too much information, especially with recent events. I knew for a fact that Eric had been with Dawn. He'd admitted the first night we met that he had tasted her. I so did not want to be thinking about Eric having great sex with Dawn. The last thing I needed was for Jason to tell me that Eric was fabulous in bed. Just the thought of that dream where we had talked in bed and had made love... I shivered at imagining his hands touching me again. How great he could kiss. I shook myself.

"Jason! Stop! That is an image I didn't need in my head right now. Okay? Besides, it probably was him. He had longer hair until recently."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to… he did? Well, damn."

"It's okay, Jason. I'm just… I'm tired. I haven't slept much lately. Maybe a little quiet time for a bit. Okay? Then I'll be fine."

"Sure. Alright."

I laid my head back, closed my eyes, and tried to calm my breathing a bit. I needed a vacation from my vacation.

I guess I finally dozed off, because the next thing I remember was waking with a start from yet another dream involving Eric. I had been in his room again, after Godric's passing, but this time I had invited him to drink my blood. Trust me; this was not at the top of my list of ways to wake up.

Jason had looked at me with a smirk and asked me what I had been dreaming about like he already knew I'd been having a sex dream. I was too embarrassed about the way the dream made me feel and found that I just wasn't in the confidence-sharing mood. Instead, I turned to reassure myself that Bill was still in his travel coffin in the back. If I admitted it to myself, my protective gesture was just a guilty reaction to my startling dream. I mean, fudge. I had actually wanted him to bite me.

I had been having dreams about Eric off and on since I had met him at Fangtasia, even though I had never shared that fact with anyone, including Bill. Not even Gran had known. Of course, I had never told Gran that I'd had dreams about Bill, either.

The early dreams about Eric had never been as detailed and realistic as the ones I had been having about him since I'd had his blood, though. Maybe if I had never decided to go to Fangtasia that night, things would have turned out differently. As it turned out, I did and would have to deal with the consequences. At least I wouldn't have to work for him anymore. I was happy about that.

If I was so pleased about that decision, then why was I feeling some regret that I wouldn't see Eric in person unless he did call me to talk about Godric? I had offered to be his friend last night, but I certainly wasn't going to go out of my way to get involved in his life. That was my last thought before all hell broke loose.

Jason had said earlier that things just never looked the same when you came home after being gone for a while, and boy, howdy, that was an understatement. Bon Temps looked like it had been picked up by a twister, churned up, and then plopped back onto the ground.

Streets were lined with trash. Signs were defaced with graffiti, and people were running around like possessed Precious Moments figurines from hell, whose eyes had been completely colored in with a black Sharpie. Whoever had coined the phrase, 'There's no place like home,' should be shot, because let's face it; this was definitely _not_ the place I had left a few days ago.

On the way to Bill's, some folks had run in front of the van and smashed the windshield in, then just got up like nothing had happened and said they were looking for Sam. Arriving at Bill's home was not any better; Maxine Fortenberry was there looking like Satan's puppet and warbling like a coked-up loon. She'd even had the unmitigated gall to make a pass at Jason. She was old enough to be his mama!

Jessica and Hoyt said the whole town had gone crazy and filled us all in. Jason went off half cocked, saying he'd save the day, and Bill and I went to my house to check on Tara.

Pulling up in front of my home, I could not have been more surprised. There was a god awful, stinking tree-like statue in my front lawn, and the door to my house was wide open. The inside of my place was pretty much trashed, like the rest of the town, and there were lit candles, mud, plants, and branches everywhere inside. The picture I had given to Tara for her birthday was smashed out of its frame on the stairwell. I looked around in disbelief.

My cell phone rang, and Lafayette was on the line asking me when I was coming home from Dallas. About the time he warned me to get out of the house, Bill and I noticed the bull head sitting on the mantle. I grabbed Bill's hand to leave and ran into Maryann.

I confronted Maryann about the house, and the next thing I knew I was up against the wall and could see inside her head. It was she who had attacked and poisoned me that night. She let me see it and feel the pressure of her claws against my back again just before Bill took charge and had her down on the couch, biting her, while she urged him on, laughing like a hyena.

Bill came up choking and spitting out her black blood as he fell sideways to the floor. Maryann and I faced off again, and this time I pushed at her face with my hands. In an unexpected turn, I felt the power rush up through my chest, into my arms, and out through my hands, before I even realized what was happening. The white blast of energy hit Maryann in the face, distracting her long enough for me to get Bill out of there.

I was pretty freaked about what I'd just done but heard Maryann calling after me, "What are you?" I was just thankful that she didn't come after us.

With Bill hanging his head out of my car, vomiting, my first instinct, while driving through town, was to call Eric. He'd know what to do, since he was a take-charge kind of guy. I suggested as much to Bill, but he was adamant that we not call Eric.

He suggested we question Tara to see if we could glean any information from her about Maryann and the situation in town. I sighed at his decision not to call Eric, rolled my eyes, and drove toward Lafayette's place.

Bill rather shocked the hell out of me when he demanded I give him my arm to feed so that he'd recover from the poisoning. He didn't even ask me about it. What had happened to his polite southern manners that he usually displayed toward me? It wasn't that I begrudged him my blood; I was simply rather annoyed with him for his tone. Luckily, I kept a first aid kit in my glove box and had a holey white sheet folded up across the back seat to cover up a tear in the upholstery. Bill tore a strip off after he fed from me and wrapped my wrist for me.

Arriving at Lafayette's, we were just starting toward his stairs when Bill dashed up to the front door after hearing Lafayette arguing with someone. Bill apparently threatened the young woman standing in front of Lafayette, because she made a quick exit, and then Bill started acting oddly toward Lafayette.

All I heard of the conversation was, "Talk to your boy, Eric." There was something going on that I would ask Bill about later, but right now the most important issue at hand was to see Tara.

The Tara tied up in a chair in the living room was someone I no longer recognized. She was acting as crazy as Mrs. Fortenberry. Try as I might, I just couldn't seem to reach her through all the darkness inside her head. Finally, with Bill's encouragement, in helping me focus, and the fact that he glamoured her, I was finally able to penetrate the heavy curtain that had enveloped her and reached that innermost part of her.

Honestly, getting there was rather horrifying. What I saw there… the orgies, the cannibalism, the frenzied, unprotected sex she'd had with Eggs, watching Maryann vibrating and stirring everyone up through her eyes, the attempt on Sam's life… it was pretty awful.

Afterward, Bill and I had gone outside to talk, and with what I told him, he realized that Maryann was a maenad and left to go get some help. I went back inside, worrying about what Jason was doing, and sat down to talk to Tara. She was still pretty freaked out about everything and was frantic about Eggs. It was going to be a long night.

The following day, Tara was having a meltdown and anxious about Eggs. Lafayette had me handcuff her to his coffee table to keep her from going after him. Then he went outside with the shotgun. I went out on the deck and joined him shortly after that. We were having an interesting conversation about Eric when Lettie Mae came busting out of the house all upset.

The rest of the day and night were kind of a blur. More like a living nightmare. I ended up watching Bill deliver Sam to Maryann, watching helplessly while Sam got stabbed, and then, when I provoked Maryann by destroying her offering, she chased me through the woods with her poisonous clawed hands raised to strike me down.

Then it was all over. A white bull came out of the dark, distracted her and skewered her with his horns. I was so relieved to see the bull turn into Sam and to learn that Bill had saved him. I ran to Bill's side and helped him get up, because he was weak from giving Sam his blood to heal him. We rounded up folks and got them on their way home, and then Bill held me until dawn.

After I woke up, Tara, Jason and I worked on getting my place cleaned up until Sam called us to help him finish cleaning up the bar so that he could open that afternoon. He figured after all the events of the past week that folks would need to reconnect and get a stiff drink. I was one of them.

It was odd how everyone seemed to blow off recent events with their theories. I even overheard Sam explaining them away.

Thank God, Andy was on the wagon again. It was weird how he and Jason had been bonding lately.

My favorite part of the afternoon, though, was getting a gift from Bill, a lovely, lavender dress with a matching wrap and the promise of a night out. He took me to a restaurant that he had booked just for us for the evening. He had actually reserved the entire place so he could have me all to myself.

We danced, had a lovely dinner, and then he handed me airline tickets to Burlington. I was pondering over them when Bill told me that Burlington was in Vermont. Then I remembered that Vermont was the state where it was legal for vampires to marry humans. My stomach started dancing around.

Bill pulled out a black velvet box and slid it across the table to me. I knew what it was, but still gasped when I opened it and saw the beautiful diamond engagement ring inside. When he asked me to marry him, I was pretty speechless at first. This was better than anything I had ever imagined. But my life was such a mess right now. I wasn't even sure I was human anymore, and he was asking me to marry him. I admit I panicked a little. Well, more than a little.

I just couldn't say yes with things so unsettled in my life. I didn't tell him no when he asked, but I needed a little time to myself. I excused myself and went to the bathroom.

Once inside, I stood, leaning back against the door, trying to get my bearings. As I walked over to the sink, crying, my thoughts were all jumbled inside my head. I looked down at the ring I had gripped in my hand and just stared at it.

I slipped it on my finger and looked at myself in the mirror and the reflection of the ring on my finger. It made me smile, and I knew I had to tell him yes. He made me happy. Besides, Eric would have to behave himself if Bill and I were actually married. Right?

I wiped away my tears, put on some lipstick, and with my confidence returning, I smiled at myself in the mirror, and rushed out to Bill, saying, "Yes! Yes, Bill Compton. I will marry you."

What I found instead was an overturned chair and champagne bucket, silverware on the floor, tablecloth askew, and the front door behind me swinging open. I stood in shock, thinking maybe he was upset because I ran to the bathroom instead of answering him. Would he have left in anger because of that? That didn't seem likely.

I heard a car screeching away. Running to the door, I saw a dark van streaking down the street as it swerved around the corner out of sight. "Bill!"

Bill's car was still parked out front, so I knew he must have been taken against his will. Since he had his car keys in his pocket, I had no way to get back home. Sam was out of town. Tara and Lafayette were both working tonight. I turned on my cell phone and was scrolling down the list to Jason's number, when I came across Eric's private cell phone number.

"Where in the hell did that come from?" I found myself saying aloud. When could Eric have possibly added it?

It had to have been Eric. Honestly, I couldn't see Bill adding it in. I could almost hear Jessica imitating Bill's voice, saying 'What possible reason would I ever have to give you Eric's private cell number?' I hiccupped at the thought.

I kept scrolling down until I got to Jason's cell number and selected it. "Come on, Jason. Pick up!"

Unfortunately, it rang about six times and went directly to voice mail. After the beep, I left him a message.

"Jason? It's me, Sookie. I really need to talk to you right away. Can you call me on my cell as soon as you get this? Something has happened… I… just call me. Okay?"

My voice had broken as I finished. I felt like pulling the pins out of my hair and flinging them to the floor. Here I was just plain stuck without the keys to his car. Who would have taken him? Why would they have taken him?

Shit, what was I going to do? I started pacing to clear my head.

Okay, now I couldn't exactly call the cops. They wouldn't care if a vampire went missing. They weren't much better than the Fellowship in regards to vampires. If the law enforcement in this town was anything like Bon Temps, then I might as well hand out bullets and call them all Barney Fife. They were fixated on my brother for everything that went wrong and kept hauling his ass into jail. Who knows when Jason was going to call me back. He was probably trying to hook up with some bimbo. The only person I could call was… oh, fudge.

I sighed resignedly and was scrolling down to make my selection, when my cell phone rang. Without looking at the caller ID, I answered. "Jason! Thank God you called me back."

"This is Eric," said Eric.

"Eric? Oh, I was just about to call you," I answered, trying not to sound too disappointed that it wasn't Jason.

"Were you? What an unexpected surprise. Miss me already?" asked Eric, sounding pleased that I was going to call him. I could almost hear him smiling at the other end of the line and felt myself flush a little.

"Not really. I could have gone for weeks without missing you. Months even. What are you calling about?"

"Ah. Well, I just tried to reach Bill, and he isn't answering his cell. Is he with you? I am just back from New Orleans and had an urgent matter I needed to discuss with him."

"No, he's not… he was, but now he's not. One minute he was here, and the next he was just… just gone. I… I…"

As my voice broke, he asked more softly, "What has happened?"

"Bill… he… he took me out to dinner. I went to the ladies room. You know, to… to freshen up. I was only gone for a few minutes, but when I came out, he was gone. Someone took him."

"How do you know this?"

"Just trust me. Okay? A van sped out of here like a house o' fire just a little bit ago. He's been taken, and I'm stranded here."

"Very well. Listen to me. Go back to the ladies room and lock yourself in. Go now."

"Okay, I'm going," I answered, as I walked back down the hall, then closed and locked the door. "I'm in."

"Good. Now give me the address, and we will be there shortly."

* * *

TBC

A/N: _I know I'm evil for leaving you here like this. I'll try to get another chapter sooner than the time it took for this one._


	6. Chapter 6

**Trust Me**

**Chapter 6**

**(Eric)**

*knock* *knock*

"It is Eric," I announced, after knocking on the bathroom door.

When I had arrived at the restaurant, I had taken the time to search around before I sought out Sookie. The scent of two werewolves and seared flesh permeated the air. I noted the state of the room; Sookie was correct. Compton _had_ been taken, and unfortunately, before I could have my 'chat' with him. Pity. I was looking forward to doling out a little punishment to Bill for his blackmail efforts and to find out how he knew about the V. Perhaps Lafayette would know. That would have to wait.

I saw the black velvet box on the table, lying open and empty. I picked up the airline tickets and nearly crushed them in my hand when I saw the destination. So, he thought he could outmaneuver me by marrying her?

"Billy, Billy, Billy. Who is feeble and desperate now?" I said aloud, then placed the objects back where I had found them and smiled.

It appeared that someone had done me a favor by taking Compton, but the fact was, he was a vampire under my protection, and as much as I disliked it, and him, he was in favor with the queen. She would be very displeased to hear that he was missing. Her displeasure would undoubtedly manifest itself with her punishing me. I had an obligation as his sheriff to look into this matter. Well, that and my personal skin.

I smiled again in anticipation of having Sookie to myself for a time so that I _could_ ingratiate myself into her life. I had told Sophie Anne that I did not love humans. I did not love Sookie, but she intrigued me like no other, and her talents were extremely useful to me. She was definitely something more than human, and I was nothing if not 'opportunistic.'

"Open the door," I continued.

She unlocked the door and opened it wide. If I had been expecting someone who needed to lean on me, I was sorely mistaken. She continued to surprise me.

"Eric, how did you get here so fast?" she asked. I could tell she had been crying, but she had found some inner strength, before I had arrived, and was back to her usual self.

I was stunned by how lovely she looked in that lilac dress and found myself wanting her. Personally, I thought red suited her better, but the sight of her bare neck, shoulders, and the low v-cut of her neckline, displaying the curves of her creamy flesh, distracted me for a moment.

"I flew," I replied truthfully and gave her a lop-sided grin.

"You flew? Yeah, right," she laughed. Then her smile faded. "So what are you going to do about this? Who would have taken him?" she asked, fidgeting with the gap of the dress between her breasts as my gaze made her self-conscious. As a thought occurred to her, she narrowed her eyes and boldly met mine. "You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"

I raised my left eyebrow at her and replied, "Would I have come this quickly to investigate if I had? Really, Miss Stackhouse. Your lack of trust is worrisome. I am wounded."

She muttered under her breath as she brushed up against me, exiting the restroom, "Wounded? Give me a stake. I'll show you wounded."

I stifled a laugh at her words, knowing she had probably forgotten that vampires had excellent hearing. I had deliberately not given her much room so that I could feel her warmth against me when she squeezed by me. Again, I noticed how stunning she looked in that dress as she walked in front of me toward the dining room. Hunger and lust welled up inside me as I thought how unwise of me it had been to come to her rescue before feeding. I licked my lower lip and followed her.

She walked over to the table and picked up the velvet box, snapping it closed. Without turning around, she asked, "Who would gain by taking Bill? What could they possibly want with him?"

I walked up behind her quickly until I was almost touching her. "I do not know."

She jumped and whirled around, lost her grip on the box, and knocked a glass onto the floor where it broke. I caught her in time before she lost her balance. Taking her left hand in mine and touching her engagement ring with my thumb, I queried, "Did you give him your answer?"

She snatched her hand away and snapped, "That is none of your business, Eric. You know very well that I am his." She knelt down to retrieve her box; her hand shaking as she reached for it. She wasn't as unaffected by me as she pretended.

As she picked up the box, she cut her fingers on the broken glass, exclaiming, "Shoot!" The metallic, sweet scent hit me like a punch in the abdomen, and before she could do anything but look at the cut, my fangs came down slightly as I grasped her wrist firmly and helped her to stand.

"It's nothing, Eric. Really, I'll just... um… Eric… What are you…" she murmured as I raised her hand toward me and moved in closer.

The hunger and lust was in full swing now as the exotic smell of her blood and her perfume filled my senses. I felt my nostrils flare as I opened my mouth and drew her fingers in, curling my tongue around them. The hell with Bill Compton. She would be mine.

Through my awakened bloodlust, I vaguely heard her gasp with shock, her blood on my tongue was surely as intoxicating as any drug could possibly be. As I closed my eyes, I knew with a certainty that I had never tasted anything quite like it before. I drew as much as I could from the cuts, feeling her blood sliding down my throat as smoothly as a fine brandy. The wounds ceased their blood flow, but I wanted more.

As my fangs came down even more, I felt her tugging her hand against my grip, but I refused to release her. She started backing away from me, and I went with her, still sucking on her fingers. Backwards she went until she was up against the wall with me pressed against her.

"Let me go, Eric," she said, struggling slightly against me, trying to move her head back and forth, but I could feel how excited she was as my thumb moved to her pulse. Her heart rate was elevated, so I knew she wasn't immune to me. I could hear her blood throbbing through her veins, calling to me.

I looked her directly in the eyes as I continued to suck on her fingers, trying to seduce her. I wasn't able to glamour her, but she did stop struggling, as I continued to look at her. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she gulped. I released her fingers and moved my lips down to tug on her earlobe and began to nibble.

As she reluctantly moaned in response, I moved my lips along her jaw to her lips. "This is wrong… let me go."

I ignored her when she closed her lips to me and continued to coax them open with my tongue. After what seemed like an interminably long interval, she started to respond, and opened her mouth, allowing my tongue to mingle with hers. Almost against her will, one hand moved up and curled through the hair at the nape of my neck, and I deepened my kiss.

Again, I was pleased that she knew how to kiss me in spite of my fangs, and I groaned when her tongue curled around one of them.

As I moved one hand to her bare back, she shivered, causing her nipples to harden and press into my chest. Feeling emboldened, I moved my free hand slowly over her bare shoulder and down her arm to her waist and then on down her outer hip and thigh. I moved my hand under her dress to her outer thigh and slowly moved it up, letting my fingertips lightly brush her skin. I could feel her resolve fading, and that she was about to give in.

"Well, isn't this cozy," said Pam, sarcastically. "I can't leave you alone for a minute, can I? Really, Eric."

I growled a little as I tore my lips from Sookie's and glared at Pam, who was standing in the doorway wearing black pumps, a black flapper dress, and a black hat with feathers, which was perched on one side of her upswept hair. Great timing, Pam. At least she knew how to make an entrance.

Sookie came back to herself, pulling my hand from underneath her dress, as she pushed me from her. I let her, of course. "How dare you? I am Bill's!"

She tried to slap me, but I neatly caught her wrist before her hand could connect with my face. I loved these little verbal and physical jousts between us. I wonder if she knew just how much I enjoyed them.

"It didn't look like you were Bill's just now," said Pam, with a raised eyebrow.

"Pam," I said with authority. She quickly rolled her eyes and said, "Here are your keys. It's parked out front. Have you discovered anything?"

I caught the keys in my hand and stuffed them in my pocket as I watched Sookie retrieving the box and the airline tickets and stuffing them into her gold clutch while she glared at me.

I answered Pam in Swedish. "Two werewolves. They used silver. I could smell the burnt flesh. They left in a dark van. I flew around the area, hoping to spot the van, but it was long gone."

"Yes, I can smell it. How would you like us to proceed?" she answered in the same language.

"Get back to the club. Discreetly put out feelers regarding his whereabouts. I'd rather the queen not hear about this. Send Chow and two others. Take care of the club until I return."

"Where are _you_ going?" she asked.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sookie looking from me to Pam in annoyance as we spoke. "Cut that out!" she shouted. "Don't y'all know how rude it is to speak in another language when there is someone in the room that doesn't understand it? If you are talking about what you are going to do about Bill, then I deserve to hear about it."

I smiled but didn't answer. I looked back at Pam and said, in English this time, "Carry out my orders. I plan to drive Miss Stackhouse back to Bon Temps."

"You want me to _walk_ back to Fangtasia?" asked Pam, in disbelief.

"Yes, do you have a problem with that?" I questioned.

She sighed and said, "If I wear out yet another pair of pumps, you are going to replace them!"

"Would you like ruined pumps or would you like me to bring the teacup humans back to the club?" I teased.

"You wouldn't dare!" she exclaimed, then reverted to Swedish. "They stunk. Hadn't bathed in days!" She glared at me, then said in English, "Oh, very well, I'm going."

"Pam?"

"Yes."

"Before you go, locate the employees of this establishment and find out what they know. Do whatever it takes."

"Oh, I will enjoy this," she said with a gleam in her eyes.

I turned back to Sookie. "So, Miss Stackhouse, where were we?" I teased. I knew very well the moment between us was gone.

"I believe you were about to take me home."

"Ah yes, I was. This way," I said as I gestured toward the door. She walked ahead of me and down the stairs, and stopped when she saw my car.

"Let me guess," she said. "The red sports car with the BLDSKR vanity plate is yours?"

"Of course," I smiled at the obvious.

"Okay, if Pam drove your car here, then how did you get here?" she asked, redundantly.

"I told you that I flew," I replied.

"Oh, come on. I thought you were joking. You _flew_?" she asked, with attitude.

I lifted off the stairs, flew over her head, and landed by the passenger door, deftly opening it for her. "I flew."

She just stood there, with her mouth open, then said in amazement, "Shut. Up."

I smiled as she walked over and sat down on the leather seat. I closed the door and was seated in the driver's seat and starting the engine almost before her door closed. She leaned away from me and was pressed against the door just staring at me.

I put the car in gear and screeched out. She gripped the door handle and closed her eyes. She obviously was not going to talk for a bit, so I reflected on the past couple of days as I drove.

Although I was loyal to her, the queen seemed more over the top than usual of late. I was trying to stay on her good side. However, if she had made me play one more game of Yahtzee with her, I do not know if I could have affected being so subdued and obedient towards her.

She had dismissed the passing of Godric as if it were nothing. I tended to hold grudges, sometimes for centuries. Yet, I bided my time and submitted to her because it was my duty.

I had noticed that she had glared at her human pet seated across from her, during our game, when she had responded to my telling the queen that Bill loved Sookie. After the queen dismissed me, I loitered in the foyer to see if I could speak to the young women in the event that she ventured away from the queen's side. It finally paid off, and she came out alone.

I detained her and said, "I don't believe I caught your name."

She smiled and said, "It's Hadley, Mr. Northman."

"Hadley, my pleasure. I uh… noticed you were surprised when I told the queen that Bill loved Sookie. Do you know Bill Compton?"

"Well, yes. He's been here before. I was just surprised to hear that he loved my cousin."

"You are Sookie's cousin? How enlightening." I was pleased she was the friendly type. "I have met her myself. She is special."

"She sure is. I can't say enough about her 'round here. The queen has been really great about my cousin. She's good to me for the most part. I just can't believe all the nice things she does."

"How nice of her. I'm sure she has been _very_ generous."

"Boy, and howdy. Did you know that she arranged for Mr. Compton to get back his family estate in Bon Temps? It's right next to Gran's house. The queen especially wanted him to say hey to Sookie when he moved there."

I smiled and said aloud, more to myself than anyone, "Did she now."

"It's good to hear about home. After all I've done with my life, I… I just can't go back there. Mr. Compton lets me know how Sookie and Gran are doing from time to time. You know, I really shouldn't be talking to you about this. She wouldn't like it," she said, lowering her voice and darting her eyes towards the closed door.

"Very well, I won't breathe a word," I said, conspiratorially.

I looked down intently into her eyes, and said, "You did not have this conversation with me. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she replied blankly.

"The last time you saw me was when I left the game. Understood?"

"Yes," she said.

"Good. Go back to your regular routine in about two minutes."

"Okay," she replied, as I departed, leaving her standing there.

When I had returned to Shreveport, I informed Pam that we needed to have a conversation with Bill Compton about how he knew we were selling V. Pam and I were the only ones who knew about it, at the moment, in my area, except for the dealers we had recruited.

"You may be surprised to hear that the queen arranged for Compton to receive his family estate, and that she apparently sent him here to meet Sookie."

"You have got to be joking! She didn't go through you with this?" asked Pam, incredulously.

"She sent Bill, behind my back, to secure Sookie. I told you that he was acting like protecting her was an edict. I told him at the time that if it was an edict, then I would know about it."

"That sneaky bitch," said Pam.

"Were you referring to the queen or Bill?" I inquired, smiling at her.

"Take your pick!"

"Careful who you say that around, Pam. It could be considered disloyal."

"Disloyal my ass. The queen has lost her mind," declared Pam, putting her hands on her hips. "What are you going to do about this?"

"Do?" I repeated. I leaned back in my office chair and shrugged my shoulders. "Nothing at the moment. I say we watch and wait."

"What about Sookie? Are you going to tell her? She should know of his duplicity."

"I believe that it is unwise to do so. Besides, I know nothing about the queen's plans, remember? She didn't go through me."

"How'd you find out?" she asked.

"The queen has taken Sookie's cousin as her pet. I'm sure she is there for insurance should Sookie prove unwilling to participate in whatever the queen has in store for her. I questioned the cousin, then glamoured her."

"Oh, Sookie will love being forced into doing something against her will from what I've heard about her interaction with you. In fact, wouldn't she run straight to New Orleans to help her cousin?"

"Precisely, and I would like to keep Sookie in _my_ area. By the way, did I tell you that I tricked her into drinking my blood?"

Pam swore under her breath. "Yes, only about three times. You are very pleased with yourself, aren't you?"

"Oh yes. A brilliant move on my part. She will soon be mine."

"You keep saying that."

"Because it is true," I stated as I shuffled through some invoices on my desk.

"You are obsessed with her," said Pam. "It is quite tiresome. It is all you talk about. Why don't you check out the new dancer I just hired. She's a blonde. Go on. It will cheer you up. You haven't been the same since you got back from Dallas."

Pam had been right on both counts. The new dancer had cheered me up. Considerably. Not only was she tasty, she was exotic and very… limber. I planned to keep her around for awhile. I smiled at the thought of taking her on my leather sofa again.

Sookie finally got the nerve to talk to me as we drove down the highway to Bon Temps. "Do you always drive this fast? You could get pulled over, you know."

"I am not concerned with that. There are ways around traffic tickets."

"Yes, I suppose a cop would make a nice snack for you."

I did not reply, but just looked at her and smiled.

"Why don't you just drink synthetic blood like Bill does?"

"It is quite vile," I answered truthfully. "I prefer drinking straight from the well."

"Bill seems to like it just fine," she said.

"Bill Compton has very poor taste. You are the only exception."

I actually saw her blush and look away. This was good.

After a few more moments of silence, she asked, "How are you doing?"

I was puzzled. "Concerning?"

"Your loss. Godric."

"Ah, yes. It has been an adjustment. I… " I stopped. Something had been weighing heavily on my mind. I think now was the perfect opportunity to ask.

"What did he say after I left? Did you speak much with him?"

"Oh. Yes, I did. He said that he didn't think like a vampire anymore, but he didn't elaborate. He asked me if I believed in God. He wanted to know how God, if he existed, would punish him. I told him that God forgives. He doesn't punish. He told me that he didn't deserve to be forgiven but that he hoped for it."

I swallowed. "What else did he say?"

"He asked me to look out for you. Take care of you."

"He asked that of you? Why would he do that?" I asked, pulling over onto the shoulder of the road and stopping the car to stare at her.

Sookie looked at me oddly before answering. "I don't know. I'm sure he had his reasons."

I was silent for a moment, then I asked, "How did you reply?"

"I told him I didn't know if I could. That you were pretty much you."

I made a little noise at the back of my throat.

"He said he was to blame for the way you are."

I looked hard at her. "Did he say why he thought that?"

"No. After all this time, he knew you better than anyone. Maybe he wanted me to look after you to show you that not all humans are unworthy 'pets.' Maybe he was hoping that vampires and humans could get along."

I said nothing so she continued.

"When the sun started to come up, I asked him if he was afraid. He said, 'No.' He told me he was full of joy and wanted to go. He said he was pleased that a human was with him at the end. That he could still be surprised after all the years he had lived. I cried, and he basically said he saw God through my tears."

"You shed tears for my maker?" I asked softly, looking intently at her.

"Of course, I couldn't help it. How could I not?"

I broke eye contact, leaned my head onto the headrest, and closed my eyes. We were quiet for a time, then I opened my eyes and looked at her. "Thank you for telling me. I have much to think over."

"Eric, if you need someone to talk to about him, I'll listen," she offered, placing her hand over mine. A small gesture on her part, but it was oddly comforting.

We continued to look at each other until I said, "Miss Stackhouse, if you have no wish to donate blood this evening, then I suggest we continue on our way."

When I smiled at her, showing a little fang, she withdrew her hand immediately and moved back toward the door, pulling her wrap tightly around her shoulders. I put the car back in gear and pulled back on the road.

She was surprised that I knew where she lived. I didn't tell her that I always kept tabs on my assets.

Her driveway was in appalling condition. I had to be cautious since my car was relatively low to the ground. No wonder she was so willing to use her ability to earn money to restore it. As we pulled up in front of her home, I turned off the engine and got out to open the door for her.

Lafayette came out onto the porch and froze when he saw me with Sookie. He backed up a step and said, "Uh, Sook. You betta gets on inta the house. Eggs was shot and killed tanight, and oh my fucking God, girl. Tara, she outta her mind. She need you."

"Oh fudge!" she exclaimed, then turned to me. "Thank you, Eric, for bringing me home. You'll keep me informed about Bill?"

"Yes, I will," I replied.

She rose up on her toes and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "I really have to go."

She dashed up the stairs and into the house. Lafayette started to follow her in.

"Lafayette!" I called, as I moved quickly to stand in front of him. "A word with you please."

He jumped and sputtered out, "Whatchu want? I been doin' whatchu axed me ta do."

"Tell me, Lafayette. How does Bill Compton know that I am having you sell vampire blood for me?"

TBC

A/N: Sorry, had to save something for next time. I apologize for any typos and grammatical errors. I've looked at it for too long and can't spot them anymore. My beta is out of town, and some of you have been anxious for more, so I'm going to post this anyway.


	7. Chapter 7

**Trust Me**

**Chapter 7**

**(Jason)**

"Fuck me. Fuck me," I said under my breath as I ran through Merlotte's parking lot to my black truck, hauled ass inside, started the engine, and got the hell out of there.

I'd been accused of three murders which I didn't do, and now I'd actually done one, and Andy was covering for me. I fuckin' killed someone. No amount of education had prepared me for this. What the fuck had I been thinking?

Sookie would say that I hadn't been thinking, and she'd be right. I'd just reacted when I saw Andy being threatened with that knife. After dealing with all the crazy ass motherfuckers the last coupla days, I just panicked and shot the dude. If they ever discovered it was me, I was gonna fry, and they wouldn't use no anersteasure neither before they either fried me or shot me full of that poison. I was going straight to hell.

Why was this shit always happening to me? I was just going outside to take Andy the gun that he'd left on the table. What had I ever done to deserve any of this? Yes, like Eve, I'd skirted the rules, had screwed most of the attractive women in Bon Temps, Ruston, and Monroe, sometimes got drunk and smoked a little weed, but nothing like this. Well, there was the whole V, Eddie, and Fellowship thing which I'd like to just forget altogether. Hell, Andy and I had single-handedly saved the entire town last night. Not sure how, but we'd done it. Now I'd gone and killed a man.

"Dammit!" I yelled as I pounded the roof of my cab with my fist. "Fuck!"

I needed to call Sookie. She'd know what to do. She'd been right. We were all we had, and we had to stick together. I held the steering wheel with my left hand as I reached down with my right to my belt and flipped open my leather cell phone holder. Shit! It was gone. I musta left it at the bar.

"Fuck!"

* * *

**(Lafayette)**

Tara had been a hot mess of hysteria and grief finding Eggs dead in the parking lot the way she did, hugging onto his body, and getting his blood on the ends of her hair. I couldn't pull her off of him even when Bud Dearborne and Kenya pulled up to take Andy's statement. I overheard part of the conversation even over Tara's wailing.

"What happened here, Andy?" asked Bud, pushing his car door closed.

"Well, uh… I came out here to leave and uh… Eggs… Mr. Benedict came toward me with that knife confessing that he'd killed that hoodoo woman and Daphne. He was all crazy-eyed and talking fast and all. I asked him to put down the knife, trying to calm him down, but he came at me with it, and I had to shoot him. It was self-defense."

"Andy," started Bud, "You promised me last night that you'd had your last drink. Why're you all dirty and disheveled? You look like you been in a tussle."

"Bud, I ain't… "

"You haven't been drinkin' have you?" asked Kenya, not even giving him a chance to finish his sentence.

"No ma'am, I ain't. I had a bite to eat and a Diet Coke. You can check my breath if you want to. Ask Arlene, she knows what I ordered."

They turned toward Arlene Fowler who was leaning into Terry Bellefleur. Terry had his arm around Arlene, comforting her. Bud asked, "Is that true, Arlene? Andy hasn't been drinkin'?"

"No sir, alls he had to drink was a Diet Coke and lime with his cheeseburger and fries."

"See, I told ya. I'm done with drinkin'. I'm tellin' you. It was self-defense."

"That is a lie, Andy Bellefleur!" shouted Tara. "Eggs would never hurt anybody. He was a good man. What did he ever do to you? We were gonna start fresh. And now… "

"I'm sorry, Tara. If he had just come quietly, instead of coming at me with the knife, this never would have happened," apologized Andy.

"I fuckin' hate you, Andy. You've ruined everything!" shouted Tara.

"Mr. Reynolds," said Bud, walking toward me. "Why don't you take Ms. Thornton home? She don't need to be here. Clearly she is overwrought."

"Sure, I can do that. Come on, Tara. I'm gonna take you home."

"No! I'm not leaving him. I can't! Eggs!" she wailed again.

"Come on, cousin. Lafayette gonna take good care of you. Nice hot bath, some hot cocoa, and maybe a little something to help you sleep. Come on, baby," I encouraged as I disentangled her from Eggs' body. I picked her up and took her to my car, helping her into the passenger seat. As I looked up, I heard a slight rustling in the trees across the parking lot and could swear I saw somebody watching us as I closed the car door. I looked for a long moment with my V-enhanced blood and hollered, "Who that out there? Why're yous creepin' around?"

Tara made a noise, and I looked back at her for a second. When I looked back up into the woods, no one was there. Whoever it was, he'd gone.

"That was weird," I said to myself. I got into my car and drove Tara home to Sookie's place since she was living there now.

* * *

**(Sam)**

When I left my foster parents, the crumpled Arkansas address in my hand, I pulled a map from my glove box, directly under my pistol, and plotted out the drive. I drove away from the curb as soon as I determined the best route and headed out on the road again.

I knew I couldn't expect anything from the Merlottes, since, after all, they had abandoned me when I was a teen and left me to fend for myself. If they'd only known that I was just as scared about that first shift as they were. I had no clue that I was a shape-shifter and that puberty and the full moon would cause me to shift. Hell of a thing for a boy who just went through a voice change.

The way they had done it was even worse. Didn't even have the balls to face me and ask me about what they'd seen, or even just send me to a foster home. No, they'd simply cleared out the damned house and left only my belongings there and no forwarding address. It was a cold blow for a kid whose body was changing in more ways than one.

I might never have met Maryann at all if they hadn't been such cowards. I would never had taken up stealing to stay alive, and most certainly wouldn't have wandered into her house that night nor lost my virginity to her.

At about 1:30 a.m., I crossed the state border into Arkansas and found a motel where I could crash for the night. It wasn't the most pristine motel I'd ever been to, and Lafayette would say that the decorator had no imagination, but it wasn't as bad as Andy's room in Bon Temps. I took my boots off, and my clothes followed as I pulled down the bedding and got into bed, stretching my limbs. I forced myself not to think about everything that had happened recently and closed my eyes for just a moment.

As I came to later, I felt teeth scraping from the base down to the tip of my hard cock. I groaned, felt a hand circle around my length and begin to move up and down against my flesh. I groaned again and couldn't focus on who was making me feel so good. Lips coaxed one of my balls into my silent visitor's mouth, and the suction along with the pumping action was going to make me… "Oh sweet, Jesus!" I said aloud as fangs sank into my inner thigh, and my orgasm overtook me. I know I zoned out for a bit, riding the wave of ecstasy. When I felt my companion move up my body, scraping fangs in all the right places, I froze.

I felt chest hair and a cold hard cock pressed against my belly. My eyes shot open to see Bill Compton scraping a fang over my left nipple.

"What the fu… Bill, what are you… Jesus Christ! Get the fuck off me!"

Bill raised his head, smiled and said, "What's the matter, Sam? Surely you knew there would be consequences along with taking so much of my blood. You are mine. I own you now."

"No, fuck, no!"

Bill started laughing as he bit savagely into my shoulder. I screamed and woke up to a small beam of sunshine though the slightly parted striped drapes.

My heart was pounding, and I was sweating like a pig. A pig was the last image I wanted to see in my head on top of the dream about Bill. It was a reminder of Daphne's betrayal. Christ! I didn't even like guys in that way, and he'd made me...

I threw off the sheets and sure enough, there was the evidence that I had come. "This is not happening."

* * *

**(Lafayette)**

I didn't think Sook would ever get home. When I finally heard a car pull up into the driveway, I went out on to the porch to see Eric Northman helping Sookie out of a red Corvette. I just about lost it and backed up to the wall and started to shiver. I forced myself to speak. "Uh, Sook. You betta gets on into the house. Eggs was shot and killed tonight, and oh my fucking God, girl. Tara, she outta her mind. She need you."

"Oh fudge!" she exclaimed, then turned to Eric. "Thank you, Eric, for bringing me home. You'll keep me informed about Bill?"

"Yes, I will," he replied.

She rose up on her toes and gave Eric a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. I really have to go," she said as she ran up the steps and dashed into the house. I started to inch my way toward the door myself when I heard Eric say, "Lafayette!" from right behind me. I jumped in sheer terror as he continued, "A word with you please."

I froze and managed to sputter out, "Whatchu want? I been doin' whatchu axed me to do."

"Tell me, Lafayette. How does Bill Compton know that I am having you sell vampire blood for me?"

"Uh… well," I stammered. "Bill, he brought Sookie to my place to see Tara the other night, and one of my buyers showed up, wanting some uh… product. Bill, he uh… sent her on her way and was about to tear into me for selling. I just told him to back off and talk to his boy, Eric."

"Boy? I'm so not Bill's boy. However, I would advise you not to tell anyone at all who is supplying you with product. I wouldn't want our relationship to go sour now that we are in bed together."

That statement did more to my libido than I cared to admit. Eric scared the hell outta me after watching what he did to that stupid-ass Royce Williams, but the dreams I'd been having about this tall, gorgeous hunka man, made me want to be his bitch in every sense of the word, despite my fear. Fuck, it had been ages since I'd gotten laid.

"Eric? What are you still doing here?" said Sookie, as she opened the screen door. She looked at me and saw my expression and said, "You'd better not be bothering Lafayette, Eric. He's been through enough. Come on, Lafayette. You scoot on inside. I can't do nothing with Tara."

I scooted alright. As fast as I could, brushing past Eric, who was grinning.

"No, Lafayette and I were just talking about his cousin. Perhaps I could be of assistance. Why don't you invite me in?" said Eric.

I know panic must have shown on my face at the thought of having to spend more time with Eric.

"Just why would I do that, Eric?" she asked.

"I might be able to calm her down by glamouring her a bit if that is your goal," Eric replied smoothly. "Then again, I could just leave you to handle this on your own. Good night, Sookie." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Sookie called back to him. "Why do you want to help her? You've shown very little regard for humans. Why help Tara?"

'_No, Sook. He playin' you. Don't let him in_,' I tried to send to her. I just knew the sumbitch was smiling, but when he turned back and looked at Sookie, there was no trace of a smile on his handsome face.

"Perhaps human relationships have started to intrigue me, especially considering our conversation on the way here."

"In a pig's eye," replied Sookie. "But I'm going to take a chance and let you in. If you do anything to bother Tara or Lafayette, I'll uninvite you so fast, it'll make your head spin."

Eric answered with a slight grin, "Agreed."

"Come on in then," she said to Eric, and Eric stepped into the living room.

"Oh hell no," I said.

* * *

**A/N:** _Since we are in so many different characters' heads, I decided to write their thoughts as if we were hearing them speaking inside their heads with some of their own language idiosyncrasies._

_As soon as Sam drank Bill's blood in episode 12, I turned to my companion and told him that Sam would start having sex dreams about Bill, that Arlene would end up pregnant, and perhaps Tara as well, and that Eric had not taken Bill because he was probably still playing Yahtzee. I had already started this story by then so had planned to use some of those predictions before the spoilers for next season started coming out. Since Sam was on the road, it was only logical that it be a motel where he had his Bill dream. Kind of weird to write it, but it is established that sex dreams are a consequence of the blood in True Blood's realm if not in the books that most of us adore._

_Does anyone have any thoughts on who the person watching Lafayette and Tara might be? Stay tuned._


	8. Chapter 8

**Trust Me**

**Chapter 8**

**(Narrator) **_Several weeks earlier..._

The vampire stood back, watching from the shelter of the trees, as the Rattrays, attacked the woman who had rescued him the night before. Sookie Stackhouse. His affected charm upon their second meeting earlier that night was nowhere to be seen as he leaned against the pine tree, watching them punch and kick her as she lay on the ground of the parking lot where she had been waiting for him.

As his blue eyes surveyed the scene, the tang of her blood suffused the air, placing his olfactory senses and hunger on overload. There was movement to the left of where he was standing, and he watched the man, who tended the bar, now shirtless, hopping on one foot and then the other as he quickly pulled off his boots. Quivering, the naked man morphed into a collie. The collie lifted his nose in the vampire's direction and smelled deeply before rushing to Sookie's side and barking at her attackers.

The one called Mack was distracted by the dog's interference, pulled a gun which was tucked into the back of his waistband, and aimed it at the dog. To the vampire's amazement, Sookie grabbed Mack's ankle and flung him across the parking lot to smash, back first, into a tree, signaling his own impetus to intervene and serve as her rescuer.

He had heard the Rattrays talking about what they were planning for her earlier and thought it would be the perfect time for him to act as her savior, so that he could heal her with his blood and start the process of ingratiating his way further into her life.

Whatever it took. That was the edict he had been given. Frankly, though it sometimes still sickened him, he had done far worse to humans when he had been with his maker than watching what the Rattrays were doing to her. He felt a twinge of guilt over this woman because she was fascinating to him, not to mention that she'd saved his life the night before. It was clear that she was more than human, and he was aching to find out more about her since he was already attracted to her. But as much as it still disgusted him, he was a vampire now and had to obey his orders.

He moved lighting quick and finished what Sookie had started with Mack, by hitting him so hard, that he broke his jaw and his neck with one blow. Then he moved on to Denise, knocking her up into the air where she flew through several heavy tree branches, killing her instantly as she fell broken to the ground with her body at an odd angle. Then he walked slowly over to Sookie who was choking pitifully on her own blood. As he started to bend down, the collie growled and moved to stand next to her in a menacing manner, his teeth bared, and his ears laid back in warning.

* * *

**(Eric)**

At her invitation, I stifled a smile, clasped my hands behind my back, and walked over the threshold and looked at Lafayette, who made a hasty retreat down the hallway. The stench from the decaying lump in her front yard was lingering indoors as well as outdoors.

As I glanced around, I realized that the inside of her home was even more dismal than the outside. It was quaint, though antiquated and quite filthy. Sam had mentioned that the maenad had taken up residence in Sookie's home, but he hadn't quite described the chaos that had been created. It would take her a long time to clean up this disaster by herself.

"I apologize, Eric, for the state of my home, but I had a maenad living here while I was helping you in Dallas," she said a bit accusingly.

"Ah yes, the shifter came to speak to me about the maenad creature. It appears that she has been satisfactorily dealt with."

"You could say that. I guess it was a good thing Bill found out what to do or Sam would be dead right now. Why didn't you help Sam?"

"I did inquire about the maenad creature but was told not to interfere. Besides, the shifter was not willing to pay the proper tribute."

Sookie looked at me as if I had lost my mind. "Tribute? I don't even know what the hell that is."

Simplifying it for her, I answered, "Usually when we ask favors of each other, the other responds in kind or pays a tribute."

"Oh, so you wanted payment for helping? How generous of you!" she said, sounding like she thought I was anything but generous. "So what exactly did you expect for payment?"

Instead of stating the obvious by mentioning that she herself had demanded payment of me when I had asked her to assist me in Dallas, I lifted my eyebrow and gave her a half-sided, sexy grin, showing a little fang.

"Never mind," she said quickly, blushing. "I don't want to know."

"Indeed. You probably don't. But let me say that you would have found it quite... pleasurable," I purred at her in a seductive voice, stepping closer to her, then I moved a finger slowly from her shoulder down her bare arm and helped her remove her wrap.

She drew in a breath, and I saw her shiver as chill bumps rose up on her arms and across her chest. Of their own accord, my eyes followed the bumps. I was pleased to see her nipples perk up and found myself wanting to bare her chest and take them into my mouth one by one.

Growing self-conscious of my direction, she crossed her arms over her nipples and pressed her arms close to her body. She was unaware that, as she did so, more of her flesh was pushed up and exposed to my view. What I wouldn't give to sink my fangs into her breast and taste more of that intoxicating, sweet blood of hers that I had tasted earlier.

Oddly enough, I had not fallen madly in love with her as the queen had predicted, but Sookie's blood was unlike any other I had ever sampled. The only words that came to mind were spicy and exotic. She was definitely more than human, and I found myself increasingly intrigued. It had been centuries since anything had piqued my interest as much as Miss Stackhouse. It no longer mattered to me that she was Compton's. I wanted her, so she would be mine. Eventually. Edict or no edict.

I had told Compton that she was part of me now and had asked him to get out of the way when we were in Dallas. I was sure he had taken my double meaning, if the look on his face was any indication. He had defied me by asking her to marry him with plans to elope to Vermont. I had to make use of the time that she and I had been given to woo her so that she would see that I was a better choice in the long run than Compton and that I had the strength and resources to protect her properly. I realized she was talking to me.

"Hello? My friend, remember? You came in to help?" she reminded me.

"Yes, of course. Where is she?"

"This way."

Following her down the hall, I helped her calm her friend down with a slight glamour. A simple thing really, but she quieted down relatively quickly. Lafayette gave her a Valium, then glanced at me. I grinned at him and winked, knowing it would unnerve him. He started visibly and backed up a step, bumping into the lamp on the night stand and catching it before it fell. I grinned even more, then looked at Sookie. She wasn't amused.

"Eric, stop that!" said Sookie, grabbing the sleeve of my jacket and pulling me from the room. She didn't let go until we were back in her living room. "Thank you for helping out with Tara, Eric, but I'd appreciate it if you would concentrate on looking for Bill and not scaring Lafayette. I thought you said you would behave."

"I always behave. Perhaps not in the manner that you expected."

"I expected a lot," she said firmly, looking me directly in the eyes. I liked it when she stood up to me. It was very... exciting.

"Yes, that much is certain," I replied then spotted a photograph lying on her coffee table. Out of curiosity, I picked it up and looked at it. It was a photo of Sookie, her friend, and an elderly woman.

"That's me, Tara, and Gran," she offered as I looked at it.

"Your Gran, does she live nearby?" I asked.

I immediately felt her sense of loss as she stiffened at my question. "No," she replied. "She passed on several weeks ago. This was her home. She raised me and Jason after our parents died."

I stiffened at her revelation. Compton had not told her cousin that her grandmother was dead, just as he was keeping Hadley's location from Sookie. What a tapestry of lies Compton was weaving around his own wooing of Sookie. This would also explain why she had responded so to me and to my maker because her emotions were as raw as mine at losing someone near to her.

"Losing someone close to you is always... difficult. I am sorry for your loss."

"Are you really, Eric? Sorry? Because you weren't a bit sorry about tricking me into drinking your blood in Dallas. I'm still angry at you for, 'I think I'm gonna cry'."

I searched within myself and found to my surprise that I was sorry for her loss. I could relate. I knew how she felt. Losing my maker had changed me a little as I began to understand what Isabel had said about humans having the capacity to feel more deeply than we do. Until my own loss, I had nearly forgotten what is was like to be human.

As I let that piece of knowledge sink in, I finally answered her. "Yes, I am sorry for your loss. I understand how you... feel. I will not apologize for the other. One day you may come to thank me for my gift to you just as one day you may need my assistance further. You have my cell number. Use it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

I moved in closer to her and ran my finger down the curve of her right breast and felt her pulse quicken. "Nothing," I returned, leaning in closer. "This has been an interesting and enlightening evening, but I must go and attend to business. I bid you farewell."

I leaned in further as if I were going to kiss her but turned at the last moment and walked out of the house and didn't look back. Even if she hadn't admitted it to herself, she had wanted me to kiss her. I knew smugly that the fact that I had not kissed her would make her want more. I wanted her as intrigued with me as I was with her.

As soon as I closed my car door, I pulled out my cell phone and brought up the number I wanted.

"It is Eric. Yes, I know what time it is. You work for me, remember? I need you to make some calls first thing in the morning. Call the cleaning service and some laborers. I want them to be here tomorrow as quickly as they can to clean up... Don't interrupt me. No, I pay you for doing this type of thing. Make it happen. I will text you the address. I do not care how much is costs. Just do it."

I started the car and backed up so that I could turn the car around. As I was tossed back and forth by the ruts and lack of gravel on her drive for the second time that night, I nearly cursed aloud. One thing was certain, Sookie had been right. She did need a new driveway. It was appalling.

Compton had a lot to answer for. The selfish child had been so busy manipulating Sookie and trying to bypass me that he had neglected to take care of the basic needs of his woman, like arranging to have her home cleaned and that horrible monstrosity removed from her lawn. It was an oversight that I intended to rectify.

* * *

**(Narrator)** _Several weeks earlier..._

The vampire, Bill Compton, scowled at the dog, clenched his jaw, rolled his eyes, and said, "You know what our blood can do. Let me help her. Besides, I will need your assistance in moving the bodies."

The collie looked thoughtful for a moment, gave the vampire a disgusted look, sat back on his haunches, and changed back into Sam Merlotte. "Well, what are you waiting for? Heal her," demanded Sam.

"This is not the time or the place to make my healing abilities known to the public. Anyone could drive by and see this," he spat back at Sam. "I will take her further into the woods and attend to her there."

"I'm coming with you. I'm not letting her out of my sight again."

"No, you will not! Someone needs to clean up this mess while I heal her," growled Bill. He leaned over and picked up Sookie gently, saying to Sam as he stood up, "I have no time for this if I am to save her life. Get dressed and load the bodies into your truck. I will be back shortly to assist you."

Cursing under his breath, Sam glared at Bill as he walked away.

Once in the clearing by the stream, Bill laid Sookie on the ground and convinced her to partake of his offering. He loathed himself that he had to resort to this to get her to drink his blood after he had been trying to regain some of his humanity, but he had to get closer to her and be able to keep tabs on her.

When she was finished, and had passed out again, he went back to the parking lot where Sam was waiting, fully dressed, by his truck, pacing back and forth.

"How is she? Is she alright?" Sam asked as soon as he spotted Bill.

"She will be fine. I have given her my blood. She is healing," answered Bill.

"I'm supposed to take your word for that? Did you bite her? I need to see for myself that she is okay."

"SHE IS FINE!" punctuated Bill. "You seeing that she is fine is not going to speed up the healing process. We need to clean up this mess. I do not want needless attention drawn to myself, to you, or to her than has already occurred. To answer your question, no I did not take any of her blood. That would have been foolish on my part considering she had already lost plenty before I had arrived."

"I don't trust you, vampire, any further than I can throw you!" Sam spouted forcefully.

"Do you want a scandal attached to your establishment or to Sookie? If you want what is best for Sookie, then we will need to make this go away. Do you understand?"

Sam growled and handed Bill some keys as he got into his truck. "Then you'll need these."

"What are these?" asked Bill.

"The keys to their car. I would rather it didn't remain in my parking lot with them being dead and all."

"Yes, that would be unfortunate considering what I have planned for them. I presume you know the location of their residence."

"Yes, they live in an abandoned trailer a few miles out of town at Four Tracks Corner. Just follow me," replied Sam as he started the engine, put the vehicle in gear, and waited while Bill retrieved their car.

At the trailer, they removed the bodies from the back of the truck and took them inside. They propped them up in the beat up overstuffed chairs in front of their television, set the keys down on the table between them, and then left. "What now?" asked Sam.

"You had best wait in your vehicle," said Bill. "I will take it from here."

"What are you going to do?" Sam inquired.

Bill scowled at Sam and clenched his jaw. "Do as you are told!"

Sam made a sound in the back of his throat, but did as Bill asked and got into the truck. Bill moved lightning fast again and entered the trailer. After about ten minutes, Sam heard a crash from inside the trailer. Then Bill was outside again, and he started uprooting and felling trees onto the trailer, crushing it and knocking it off the foundation slab.

It was as Sam watched the strength of the vampire and how he was covering up the event, making it look like an accident, that he remembered something; something that had been gnawing at his subconscious.

He had smelled a vampire right after he had shifted. Had the vampire been watching the Rattrays attacking her? No! He couldn't do something like that. He wouldn't. Would he?

The more Sam thought about it, the more likely it became to him, as he watched Bill put the finishing touches on the trailer, that the vampire was up to no good where Sookie was concerned. But just why would he stand by and watch...

"Fuck me! He wanted his blood in her!" exclaimed Sam aloud, as understanding dawned. "Son-of-a-bitch!" For the first time in a long time, Sam was scared. Not for himself but for Sookie. He needed to protect her.

He sat there fuming as he watched Bill smash a utilities pole onto the top of the trailer, and then Bill quickly got into his passenger seat and closed the door. Seeing the expression on Sam's face, Bill wisely said nothing. It was a cold drive back to Merlotte's even though it was about seventy-eight degrees outside.

When they pulled into the lot, Sam turned off the engine and, turning to Bill, said, "I want you to stay away from Sookie! This would never have happened if she hadn't gone to your rescue last night. I care about her and don't want to see her killed."

Bill glared and said, "You may posture all you like, but I like Sookie and intend to court her. I don't take kindly to being told by a shifter who I can and cannot associate with."

Sam immediately threatened, "How the hell do you think Sookie will react when I tell her that you stood back and watched her being attacked and did nothing to stop it until I arrived?"

Bill looked startled as Sam continued. "I smelled vampire just after I shifted. If you think that I will remain silent, then you are sorely mistaken. I want you out of her life."

"I will see Sookie whenever I like, as often as I like, and you will not interfere."

"The hell you will! You aren't going anywhere near her if I have anything so say about it!"

Bill's fangs came fully down as he grabbed Sam by the neck and forced Sam to look him in the eyes. "You do not, and you will not! She is mine!"

Sam tried to avert his eyes, but it was too late.

After glamouring Sam, Bill went back to Sookie. She was still unconscious where he'd left her. Kneeling down beside her, he leaned forward, sniffing the blood on her mouth and forehead. The blood on her forehead became too much for him to resist, even though he had just fed on the Rattrays when he had gone back inside their trailer earlier and then smashed in the floor so that the chairs they were sitting in fell sideways, dumping their bodies underneath the trailer.

He leaned forward and began licking her forehead. It was the sweetest blood he had ever tasted!

She opened her eyes in time to catch him tasting her. Feeling a little like he'd had his hand caught in the cookie jar, he slowly moved backwards and licked his lips trying to gauge her reaction.

"Do I taste different from other people?" she asked, weakly.

"Yes," answered Bill. "What are you?"

"Well, apparently, I'm not dead," she replied. "What I am is telepathic. I can hear people's thoughts."

"Even mine?" Bill returned as he stiffened and sat up more, backing away from her, looking guilty. As his mind raced, panicking inwardly that he had blown it and that she already knew what he had done, he tried to block his thoughts from her. Fortunately, her next words made him relax once more.

"No. That's why I like you so much. I can't hear you at all. You have no idea how peaceful it is after a lifetime of 'blah, blah, blah'."

He inwardly sighed with relief, and when her eyes met his, he knew he never wanted her to find out what he had done. She would hate him, and he didn't want that. He would do anything to keep her from finding out. She was his now.

* * *

**(Bill)**

As I recalled the events that had led up to my being taken from the restaurant, I struggled against the silver binding me which only made the pain more intense. Who could have taken me? Why had I been taken?

I had to get back to Sookie. What must she think of me, leaving her like that?

Couldn't be Eric. The queen had kept him in New Orleans playing Yahtzee. The thought made me smile even through the pain.

"Is anyone out there? Why am I here?" I yelled when I heard movement outside the door. I heard the door open and then footsteps walking toward me. Definitely female, if the sound of high heels was any indication. They stopped directly in front of me.

"Really, William," a familiar voice drawled, as her equally familiar perfume drifted my way. "Must you whine so. It hasn't been all that long. I don't know why you are so surprised, darlin'."

I blanched and stiffened, and my heart sank as my kidnapper's identity was confirmed. I recognized the owner of the voice.

"I did tell you that I wished you hadn't said that you never wanted to see me again in Dallas. Quite frankly, I just could not let that stand."

* * *

_**A/N: **__Please, no pro-Bill daggers at the turn I have taken. It had to be done, and the TB writers were not getting there fast enough. They have shown that Bill has over and over again lied or kept things from Sookie, and she seems to forgive him every time. Eric is not a saint himself but he has some growing to do. _

_I want to thank my friend Beth for a discussion we had about the dual meaning in Eric's words to Bill after Bill sucker-punched him in "I Will Rise Up."_

_Eric said, "I'm part of her now. Get out of the way." Not only was he saying, 'Get out of the way, I want to leave the room,' but he was insinuating that she was now his and that Bill should step aside so that he could have her. He had mentioned in "Keep This Party Going" that, 'if [he] wanted her, [he] could simply take her" and that he was showing respect for Bill by asking his permission for her assistance. When Bill grabbed his arm and demanded Eric stay away from Sookie in "Timebomb," he pretty much challenged Eric's authority. The fact that Eric likes a good fight gave him a prime opportunity to show Bill that Bill had no power over him whatsoever._

_When Eric was left alone with Sookie in the aftermath of the bombing, it was the perfect time for him to prove his own point to Bill even if Bill tried to pay him back for it later by punching Eric when he was in shock over his maker wanting to die._

_I also wanted to have Eric start to see the value of humans similar to the way his maker had and to advance his interest in Sookie while Bill was absent. By having Eric do something, like getting someone to come and clean her home for her, was something that Bill should have thought of himself if he hadn't been so busy scheming to get her away from Eric by asking her to marry him. I do think that Bill does care for her, but I just can't see them together for much longer._

_I really enjoy all your comments even though I am not able to get back to all of you about them._


	9. Chapter 9

**Trust Me**

**Chapter 9**

**(Jessica)**

So hungry. After going without for so long on that ass swill that Bill had made me drink, the sweet blood of the trucker flowed across my tongue and eased down my throat so easily that I felt almost drunk with the pleasure of it. So satisfying.

I continued to suck and gulp down the warm substance that the degenerate, smelly man was providing. _'Thought he could deflower me, did he? Guess he learned differently.'_

Slowly, as the flow of blood began to decrease, I licked the wounds, and reluctantly rested my forehead on the back of the seat above the man's shoulder. I was gasping even though I couldn't breathe, licking my lips in between. When the euphoria of the feed began to wear off, I leaned back on the steering wheel to look down at the trucker. _'Guess I should glamour him and get out of here before Bill gets home.'_

"Hey, mister! Wake up," I said, shaking him. The man didn't stir.

'_What the hell?' _I shook him again.

"Hey, wake up!" I kept shaking him until...

"Oh my God! _'I can't hear his heart beating.'_

"No, no, no, no! This is not happening! This is not happening!" I repeated as I began rocking back and forth with my arms crossed and my hands gripping my upper arms, trying to comfort myself.

"What have I done?" I asked aloud before I started sobbing. "No, no, no!"

**(Jason)**

"Shit! What are all those cars doing at Sookie's? Dammit! How can I talk to her with all that company?"

I put my truck in reverse and drove further down the road, pulled over into the woods, and got out of my truck.

As I began pacing, I started sweating and running my hands through my hair as my mind raced with thoughts of what I'd done. "I am dead. I am so... fucking dead. Why the hell did Andy save my ass the way he did? I mean... fuck! They'd find out somehow."

"Shit, I can't think straight! I have to get out of here. I cain't think 'bout this. Okay, so what is my plan gonna be?" I rubbed my eyes because they were stinging with sweat.

"Um... okay, okay. First, I'm gonna get pissed and then... uh..."

'_Blonde hair, doe eyes. You know, Sarah, was a real witch but she was a great lay. I swear to God that just smellin' barbeque sauce is gonna make me hard...'_

"That's it!" I exclaimed as I rubbed myself through my jeans. "Get pissed and then I'm gonna fuck what is left of my brains out. Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do," I said with conviction.

"Abstinence my ass! Didn't do Luke no good. Three years with no sex, and what did he get? Blew himself up, that's what. Stupid ass mother fucker."

I hopped back into my truck and wiped the moisture from my face onto the handkerchief I kept tucked up into the visor, then tossed it onto the seat, peeled out, and headed for Monroe to Hooligans.

**(Lafayette)**

Thank God! Tara was finally going to sleep. I covered her with a lightweight afghan and went to check on Sookie. I just didn't trust Eric with her even if she had bitch-slapped him before. Lucky bitch!

As I got up the nerve to peek around the corner into the living room, Eric was leaning down toward Sookie getting in close, then he straightened and walked out the front door. Sookie was just standing there like she was in a trance. I rushed over to Sookie to make sure she was alright.

"Sookie? You okay? Did he glamour you?" When she didn't answer, I touched her on the arm. She jumped and looked at me.

"I'm fine. No, he can't glamour me. No vampire can."

"Is that because of your ability?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Do you remember those vampires that died in the fire a while back? They tried to glamour me. I even asked Bill to try one time. It just doesn't work on me."

"Then you's lucky, baby. That's all I'm sayin'."

"I should go change," said Sookie, moving her left hand up to fiddle with her hair.

"Ooooooh, hookah," I said, seeing the size of the sparkly bauble on her ring finger. "What's this I see on your finger? Dayum! What have you gone and done? Did Bill get down on one knee?"

Sookie blushed and said, "No, he asked me after dinner tonight just after I had dessert."

"That's a really big step. I... wait a minute. If he took you out tonight and proposed to you, then why did Eric bring you home?"

"Somebody snatched Bill from the restaurant while I was in the ladies room. When I came out, the room was a mess, and he was gone. I tried calling Jason, but he didn't answer his cell. Sam's out of town, and you and Tara were working. Besides, this is vampire business, and Eric is sheriff of this area."

"Sheriff? Eric is a mother fuckin' sheriff? Oh that's rich."

"Well, yeah. He's kind of the vampire head honcho in this area," she explained.

"Him being sheriff might explain why he felt he could snatch me from Merlottes and keep me locked up for nearly three weeks in his basement. What makes you think he couldn't do the same thing to Bill? Did Bill cross Eric in some way recently?"

The startled look on Sookie's face told me that he had. "What'd he do, Sook? Tell me."

"Bill punched him in the mouth because Eric tricked me into drinking his blood. Then Bill ordered him to stay away from me."

"I knew it! I mother fuckin' knew it. He played you. Probably has Bill down in his basement at the club. Trust me. That ain't a place anyone wants to be."

"Why would he do that? He wants to keep me on his good side so I'll work for him. I did ask Eric if he had anything to do with Bill's disappearance. He denied it," she replied.

I just looked at her like she was crazy. "Sook, sometimes you are just too naive to be walkin' around. I saw the way Eric was looking at you. Why do you think he tricked you into drinking his blood? He wants you for hisself. Bill is just in the way."

I saw her blanch at my last words. "Shut up! Just shut up!" She grabbed her clutch and stormed to the door.

"Wait! Sook, where you goin'? I'm sorry."

"Fangtasia!" she spat. "That's where. Watch Tara until I get back."

"Oh shee-it!"

**(Eric)**

I pulled into my reserved parking space in the back of Fangtasia and went in the side door, humming "I've Got You Under My Skin" to myself. A bit over the top, but I was in a fantastic mood.

The club was in full swing with Jimi Hendrix's rendition of "Little Wing" blasting over the sound system. A couple of fangbangers approached me as I looked around for Pam. I left them standing where they were and sought her out.

"Well, you are back early," she said when I found her. "I thought you'd be wooing Sookie for a while longer now that Bill is out of the picture."

"Yes, that might have gone smoother if you had not arrived when you did. Let's go to my office."

As soon as the door closed, I walked around the desk and sat down in my chair. "What have you found out?"

"I glamoured the hired help at the restaurant. They were paid to make themselves scarce after dessert was served. Quite handsomely, I might add," she replied.

"By whom?"

"They didn't know. The person who bribed them asked what time the Compton party would arrive and then told them to disappear after dessert."

"Interesting that they knew about Bill's reservation at all. Anything else?"

"The van was spotted heading to the downtown airport. There was a private jet heading for Jackson that took off not long after that. Chow found an abandoned van at the airport which smelled distinctly of vampire, silver-burned vampire, and were."

"Weres? This is unacceptable. What are weres doing involved in this? Ask the neighbors what they know. I do not think I need to reiterate that you be discreet. Be wary of Jackson though. I don't want to alert Russell Edgington in case he or his people are involved. Might get a bit... messy."

"What would the king possibly want with Bill?" asked Pam.

"This I do not know. If Russell is involved, then we will need to tread lightly. I don't want the king calling Sophie-Anne."

"No, the last thing we need is for Sophie-Anne to summon us or to pay us a personal visit."

"Yes, indeedy. We do not want that."

I went back out into the bar after talking with Pam and moved to the stage, sitting down in my favorite spot to look over my domain. Yvetta, the new dancer, moved to stand in front of me and began swaying seductively to "Little Miss Dangerous" by Ted Nugent, dancing just for me. I smiled as she boldly looked at me without fear in much the same way as Sookie did. I certainly didn't need to think about Sookie now as I watched her move.

I was still semi-hard from being around Sookie earlier and on a high from the small taste of her tangy blood and from the sweet taste of her lips that had left me wanting more. Just the thought of seeing Sookie naked and moving willingly beneath me in bed had me feeling the need for some release.

Standing up quickly, I moved from the stage to Yvetta and took her by the hand.

"Vere are ve going?" she asked.

I smiled and replied, "Somewhere different."

Opening the basement door, I pulled her along behind me down the stairs and stopped her on the landing. I backed her up to the cinder block wall, as my fangs came down, and kissed her, hungrily. I broke from the kiss to say, "Are you going to be my Little Miss Dangerous tonight, Yvetta?"

"Yes, I vant you. You please me very much. Vhat vould you like?"

"Excellent," I said as I pulled off her bustier. I leaned down and took one of her nipples into my mouth and heard her moan and arch into me as she moved her hands through my hair. I looked up at her, and straightening up, I said, "I want you to please me with your lips and hands. Can you do that?"

She smiled wickedly at me and purred, "Of course." She moved her hand down to my pants and sought out the outline of my cock. We moved down the remaining stairs, and I backed her up against a pillar and kissed her again. As we kissed, she took my shirt off and ran her hands down my chest, then moved in and took my left nipple into her mouth and bit a little, though not enough to draw blood.

We switched positions, and I was against the pillar. She moved down and removed my shoes then as she stood up she ran her hands up my inner thighs and started massaging my crotch as she bit the other nipple. Her hands moved up more, and she unzipped my pants, pulling my boxers and pants down at the same time. I stepped out of them, kicking them aside as her lips found the vee of my hip, and her hand began stroking my cock.

Finally, I felt her take me into her mouth, and I ran my hands through her hair as I watched her movements on me. After a time, I was losing myself in the moment, and my head fell back against the pillar. I moaned. I was getting close.

Through it all, my mind registered raised voices coming from above. "I can't let you down there. He wouldn't like it," Pam said firmly.

"Get out of my way, Pam!" I thought I heard a familiar voice say. "Or would you prefer I call the cops?"

Yvetta did something with her tongue, so I didn't catch the first part of Pam's reply, but then she said, "Very well. Go on down at your own risk, but Bill isn't here."

I lowered my head and saw Sookie coming down the stairs with Pam behind her. Sookie was still wearing the lilac dress from earlier. She paused on the landing to get her bearings, and when she saw me, her eyes grew round as saucers, and her jaw dropped in surprise.

Pam said, "See, I told you he wasn't here."

I do not believe I would ever forget the look on her face. Priceless.


	10. Chapter 10

**Trust Me**

**Chapter 10**

**(Sookie)**

'I'm part of her now. Get out of the way,' Eric had said after Bill punched him in the mouth. That practically mirrored what Lafayette had said to me. God, I could be so stupid sometimes!

"I'll kill him if I find Bill in that basement!" I said aloud as I pulled into the parking lot. I had a difficult time finding a place to park, but finally found a car backing out of a spot and quickly took its place.

Exiting the car, I slammed the door and walked purposely toward the entrance. The burly Asian man that I had seen the night that Bill said goodbye to me at Merlottes before the tribunal was standing under the awning outside the club. I certainly didn't like the way he was rudely looking me up and down now as I walked toward him. Asshole! I felt like the canary to his cat. A real Sylvester and Tweety Bird moment.

As I tried to walk by him, he put his arm out, "Going somewhere?"

"Not that it is any of your business, but yes. I'm here to see Eric. We have something that we need to discuss."

"That's funny. He didn't say he was expecting you. Didn't he just come from your place?"

"Like I just said, this isn't your business."

"Chow," said Pam, walking up behind him. I noticed she had changed her clothes from earlier. She looked just like she'd been poured into her dress and had forgotten to say 'when.'

"Allow me," she continued and gestured with her arm for me to come inside.

I gave Chow a dirty look and brushed past him.

"Sookie, did you miss us already? Or did you just want to finish what you and Eric started at the restaurant earlier?" she smirked at me, as Led Zeppelin's "The Ocean" reverberated through the club.

"That's not even funny, Pam. You do know that I'm engaged to Bill."

Pam lifted her eyebrow, pursed her lips, gave me a sly side grin, and drawled, "Right." She just looked at me for a second, then continued, "Tell me, Sookie. What do you see in Bill Compton? Don't you find him a bit... pompous and dull?"

I saw red. "No, I do not! Bill has been nothing but good to me. He loves me! Don't you dare talk trash about him, you bitch! Now where is Eric?"

"Eric is busy working on finding your boyfriend. He doesn't have time to hold your hand."

"I don't need anyone to 'hold my hand.' What I need to do is find out if Bill is being held in your basement! I'm not leaving here until I see for myself that Bill isn't down there chained in silver."

"I can't let you down there. He wouldn't like it," Pam said firmly, referring to Eric.

"Get out of my way, Pam!" I said. "Or would you prefer I call the cops?"

"Don't piss me off tonight, Sookie. I'm running out of places to hide bodies," said Pam, giving me some attitude and a little fang. When I kept staring her down, she said, "Very well. Go on down at your own risk, but Bill isn't here."

I walked ahead of Pam to the basement door, opened it, and started down the stairs with Pam behind me. I paused on the landing to let my eyes adjust to the darkness, then looked over and nearly choked. _'Oh my God!'_

Pam drawled, "See, I told you he wasn't here."

Gasping audibly, I watched in shock as a topless fangbanger was going down on a very naked Eric. He was leaning up against a pillar and looking directly at me as she worked him. I didn't know what to say, but found myself unable to look away.

As I continued watching, Eric groaned, closed his eyes, and practically growled as his hands tightened in the woman's hair. His head fell back against the pillar as he vocalized, "Ah! Yes! That's it! Ah! Ah! Ah! Uh! Oh yes! Ah-h-h-h-h!"

When he had finished getting off, he opened his eyes, looked at me, and grinned, showing his fangs. Yvetta moved up his body and said in a thick accent, "Good for you?"

Moving his hands from her hair to her back, he replied, "Oh yes. You were very good. It appears I have a guest, so run along. I'll see you later," said Eric, watching for my reaction.

I didn't give him one though I sorely wanted to. I did, however, glare at the fangbanger who licked her lips when she passed me. Picking up her discarded bustier, she fastened it up as she climbed the stairs. I listened in to what she was thinking as she left, but her thoughts were in another language, so I couldn't get a sense of what she was thinking. I certainly wasn't getting any images from her.

It was bad enough that Liam had pulled me into his hard crotch that time he had visited Bill. He had ordered someone to go down on him in front of me and everyone else in the room, while that bitch Diane just laughed at me, saying I was innocent, but at least he'd kept his clothes on. Eric wasn't a bit embarrassed or ashamed that he was standing buck naked in front of me.

I descended the remainder of the stairs and stopped as Pam moved to stand behind me.

To say I was shocked was an understatement. The fact that Eric had brought her down to this nasty torture chamber was very telling. At least the room had been cleaned, smelling strongly of bleach and air fresheners. There was even an air purifier running to my left.

There must be something in me that was wired wrong, perhaps something to do with my ability or his blood, because as much as I was worried about Bill, I found myself getting extremely heated up in the damp basement as I looked at Eric. He had always been physically attractive, there was no doubt about that, and I was a healthy red-blooded woman, so naturally I'd notice. However, dreaming about the man and the actual visual of him were two different things entirely. He was just plain beautiful even if he was a devious, manipulative, pain in the ass.

"Leave us, Pam," commanded Eric.

"Too bad. This would have been fun," she quipped. She chuckled a little, then retreated, leaving Eric and I alone. I just glared at him for a bit then forced myself to look around, but Bill was nowhere to be seen.

"Sookie, this is an unexpected pleasure. I wasn't expecting you tonight," he said as he walked toward me very slowly with a slight swagger in his step. "I might have been a bit more... presentable."

I looked back at Eric, trying to keep my eyes focused on his face. Apparently, I'm not as strong as I thought I was, because I couldn't resist watching that very impressive male part of him swaying a bit as he walked, even if he was no longer erect. I tried not to compare him to Bill, but it was hard not to. Never had I seen one that was so... so...

"Just stop!" I said, more to myself than to Eric, who halted about five feet in front of me at my words, lifted his left eyebrow, and grinned again. I glared at him.

"I see that you cleaned up down here since my last visit. Bleach and Febreze are an interesting combination. Is that the Spring Renewal scent?"

He grinned at me again and answered, "Yes, I believe it is."

"Not quite working though, huh? It still stinks down here like something that a dog's been keepin' under the porch."

He shrugged at me and said, "Were you looking for anything in particular down here, Sookie?"

"You know very well that I'm looking for Bill. I just wanted to see for myself that he wasn't chained up down here with silver," I said rather accusingly. "You remember what it is like to be chained with silver? Not much fun was it? Do you also remember who released you from the silver chains?"

When Eric didn't utter a word and gave me that steady look, I finally let my disgust show. "_How _in the _hell_ could you bring that fangbanger down here of all places? That's just wrong, Eric."

He smirked and replied, "Seemed like a good idea at the time. It was closer than my office or the storeroom, and I knew it was unoccupied."

"Uh huh. I'm sure it did seem like a good idea. You are every bit as much of a horndog as my brother," I verbally spat at him. "I can see you've been hard at work looking for Bill."

"Actually, I have my people looking into it."

"I'm glad you are taking this search so seriously," I said sarcastically.

"I believe I told you earlier that Bill was not here. I thought we were working on trusting each other."

"You haven't exactly given me a big reason to trust you, Eric. I would like to, but you seem to be more slippery than snot on a glass doorknob when it comes to being straight with me."

"Yet you told me in Dallas that you were my friend," he reminded me.

"I'm trying, Eric. You make it very difficult for me to be your friend. Trust goes both ways."

He was quiet for a moment, then said, "My maker saw something in you, Sookie. He trusted you."

"He saved me from being raped, Eric. He earned my trust. He didn't have to keep Gabe from harming me, but he did. I'll always be grateful to him for that."

"You stuck up for him when Nan was berating him. I... I appreciated that."

"She was being unfair," I said as I felt myself getting weary with the stress of the evening. "I should go, Eric. I'm too exhausted to argue anymore with you. Please let me know what you find out. I'll do whatever I can to help."

"When I have more information, I will give you an update. Before you go, I have a question to ask of you."

"Alrighty. What is it?"

"Are you sure that the only reason you came here tonight was to look for Bill? I thought perhaps it was something else."

"Why else would I come here, Eric? It doesn't exactly hold fond memories for me. I nearly died here. Twice."

"I thought perhaps I had grown on you, and you wanted to continue our earlier activity at the restaurant before Pam interrupted us."

"Oh for Pete's sake! If I could choose to be with one person for a day, it sure as hell wouldn't be you."

As I turned to go, I just couldn't let his lack of clothes go without comment. I shocked myself by turning back around to give him the once over and said, "Eric."

"Yes," he replied, looking back at me and grinning as he rubbed his right hand slowly over his flat abs.

"The next time that I see you, you'd better be wearing some pants."

I was mortified by my own audacity and was embarrassed to hear Eric's laughter behind me as I turned and hurried up the stairs with as much dignity as I could muster.

**(Pam)**

I saw Sookie coming out of the basement, and her cheeks were colored red. Wonder what Eric said that had her looking like that. If the music hadn't been so loud, I could have listened in. Pity.

I went to the door and down into the basement. Eric had his shirt on but still hadn't pulled on his pants. "Well, no wonder Sookie left in a hurry. I'm sure seeing you naked disturbed her delicate human sensibilities."

"You allowed her to come down here on purpose, knowing that I was with Yvetta, didn't you?" asked Eric a bit sternly.

"Someone had to show her what she was missing. Maybe she'll appreciate you more now that she's seen what you have to offer. I don't see why nudity and sexuality are such big issues for some humans. It would be so much better if they just relaxed."

"She was certainly conflicted, but in the end, she.. did like what she saw," Eric grinned cockily at me as he zipped up his pants. "Bill has officially buried himself up to his neck with his lies. Eventually, Sookie will see Bill for what he really is and wonder why she ever trusted him. I intend to be there when that happens."

"Yes, and you will be impossible to be around until you get what you want," I added.

Eric laughed. "First, we need to find Bill. He will take care of the rest for us eventually. I wish Sookie wasn't so blind where he was concerned."

"Bill is a wet blanket. No amount of breeze will ever dry him out. I can't stand the pathetic, little worm."

"Neither can I, but we do have to find him regardless of how we feel about him."As he talked, he started up the stairs.

"What's the plan?" I asked.

"Plan? The only thing I have planned at the moment is to find Yvetta and finish what we started. Besides, I'm famished," he replied, baring his fangs.

"I don't suppose you'd share," I said hopefully. "She looks very... tasty, among other things."

"Perhaps another time," Eric said. "I've told you before that you have enough pets."

I pouted, knowing that he loved it when I did that. He just laughed and sped the rest of the way up the stairs, closing the door behind him. Guess I'd just have to find one of my so-called pets and have my own fun. A threesome might have been an interesting way to pass the time though. What a shame.

_A/N: Quote regarding Pam: She looked as if she had been poured into her clothes and had forgotten to say "when." ~ P.G. Wodehouse_


	11. Chapter 11

**Trust Me**

**Chapter 11**

**(Eric)**

Something was weighing heavily on my mind as I fed from Yvetta, making my enjoyment of the feed feel somewhat tainted, and I did not like it. I kept seeing the emotions displayed on Sookie's face when she had found me in the basement. Why should I even care what she thought?

I pulled back from Yvetta and said, "Thank you. You may go."

She pretended to be a bit hurt that we hadn't had sex, but even though she had never had my blood, I knew deep down that she was not as hurt as she pretended to be. Raising up from where she was straddling my lap, she straightened her short skirt and walked away from the couch to my door. Looking back briefly, she gave me a pointed look that almost tempted me to call her back, then she walked through the door and closed it.

I stretched my legs out on the couch and leaned my head back, closing my eyes. I could just hear the music from the public area of the club through the door.

Sookie Stackhouse. Why was she the first woman in centuries who offered me a challenge? Woman nearly always threw themselves at me. It had been a very long time since I had to seriously court a woman that I wanted. Why the hell did I want this one?

Yes, she was valuable to me and to my area and had proved her worth to me and to my maker in Dallas. She was loyal and protective of those she cared about. I had seen it. It was a trait that I personally admired and expected in others.

She had looked amazing in that lilac dress tonight. Good enough to lick and fuck senseless until my scent was all over her, washing away the odeur de Bill Compton. Ah, and then to drink from her until we both came put a big smile on my face. I wanted her in my bed at my home so that I could smell her scent on my sheets when I went to rest for the day and when I woke up the following night. I could still almost taste her blood, the amazing sweetness of it. Kissing her had been even more intoxicating to me with the subtle remnants of the dessert she had eaten lingering on her tongue.

I sat up suddenly and planted my feet on the floor. The hell with Compton. He had no choice but to get out of my way now. I just had to convince Sookie that she was made for better things than being mated to Bill Compton. I couldn't be the one that told her about what I knew and suspected about him though. Not only wouldn't she believe me, but she would hate me for it. I didn't want that.

A thought occurred to me, and I began to rethink my instructions to my day assistant about the maid service. It might be a bit intrusive after the evening that she had. I could arrange to have her driveway replaced as a bonus. She'd be grateful to me then.

I frowned. No, she wouldn't. As stubborn and proud as she was, she would undoubtedly object to having me pay for the entire driveway. She'd just throw it back in my face.

I whipped out my cell phone and hit speed dial.

"This is Eric. Yes, I _do_ know what time it is. Do we need to go through this every time I call? I need to modify my instructions to you. Cancel the request for the maid service. Instead, call in an order to have someone patch up the driveway at the address I gave you. No, I do not want them to replace it. Just have them repair it. Fill in the ruts and potholes with soil and apply gravel to the worn areas. That will be sufficient for now. Again, tell them I will pay top dollar to have it done tomorrow morning. Thank you."

I smiled and began tossing my cell phone in the air and catching it over and over again as I stood up to go back out into the club.

**(Tara)**

It was still dark when I woke up. After getting some sleep, I felt somewhat better, but I kept seeing Eggs lying there on the ground in a pool of blood. At least the hysteria I had felt earlier was gone. Guess that was due to that vampire that came in with Sookie.

I got out of bed, still dressed, and went quietly downstairs to the bathroom, carrying a change of clothes. Looking in the mirror, I was shocked to see my face. It hardly looked like me. I got a flash of my mama, and boy, did that scare the hell out of me. I needed to get out of here.

I splashed some water on my face, used the toilet, took a quick shower, fixed my makeup, and put on my clean clothes.

In the livingroom, Lafayette was asleep on the sofa. I pulled off the afghan from the back of the sofa and spread it over him. He muttered something in his sleep but didn't move. I could just make out his keychain with block letters spelling out BITCH on the end table and picked up his keys, walking silently to the door, and closed the door quietly behind me. I got in Lafayette's car and started driving.

I ended up at Merlottes. The neon lights were off above the entrance when I arrived, and everything was eerily quiet. I got out of the car and walked over to the place where Eggs' body had been. I could just make out the spot from the lights in the parking lot. Kneeling down, I touched the ground where he had been, trying not to look at the pool of blood that was drying. Grief welled up inside me, and I started to cry. "Eggs."

"Might I be of some assistance?" a cultured voice said behind me.

I screamed and scrambled to my feet, backing away from the stranger. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I apologize. I didn't mean to startle you. You just looked like you were in distress."

"Where the hell did you come from?" I asked suspiciously, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand and sniffling. "I didn't hear a car."

"No. I left my auto down the lane. This is just the best time of the night for a walk, don't you agree? The moon is nearly full, and the air is so still at this hour. What about you? You seem in some distress."

I looked him over, noting that he seemed like the perfect gentleman. Handsome too. At six feet tall, I estimated him to be in his late thirties. He was pale, had a slight build, an aquiline nose and shortly cropped, curly dark hair, but I couldn't tell what color his eyes were in this light.

"So, you just traipse around in the woods at night, what... communing with nature? That's just fucked up."

"Something like that," he said with a smile. "I am, shall we say... unconventional."

"Uh huh, I can see that. I can tell from your accent that you aren't from around here."

"No, I live abroad. I am here on holiday mixed with a trifle business."

"I see, and you decided to pick the smokin' hot tourist attraction of Bon Temps, Louisiana? I didn't even know they had any travel packages featuring this little backwater town. How'd you end up here?"

He laughed. "I simply rented an auto and started driving through your lovely state. I never thought I'd wind up in this posh area," he said smoothly with just a hint of a smile at his own bit of sarcasm.

"Right. And you just happened by Merlottes parking lot by accident."

He ran his hand through his hair and walked over to Lafayette's car, leaned back against it, looked at me, crossed his arms and said, "Why were you weeping just now? Perhaps it would ease your mind if you confided in someone. I have been told that I am a good listener."

Why was I feeling like I could talk to this stranger? I didn't know him from Adam. What was it about him that made me want to? The next thing I knew, I was spilling my guts.

I told him about my relationship with Eggs and how he'd been killed earlier. This stranger was certainly right. He was a good listener. Every once in a while, he'd interject a question, but mostly he just listened.

"I can't fuckin' believe I just told you all that," I admitted, laughing nervously. "I really should go on inside. It is almost light."

"You are correct. Dawn is near. So, you are an employee of this establishment?" he asked.

"For the time being, I am," I replied, sarcastically. "This is the longest I've been at the same job in a long time. I usually do something to fuck it up."

"You are very colorful," he noted, smiling again.

"What's that supposed to mean? I better not be talkin' to some uppity bigot. That just ain't gonna fly with me, mister."

"Pardon, no. I meant that you have a colorful way of expressing yourself. I was not referring to the color of your skin."

"Well, all right then. Just making sure we understand one another."

Hearing a vehicle pulling into the lot, I turned my head to see Terry Bellefleur's truck. He parked, got out of his truck, and walked toward me. "Hey, Tara. What are you doing here this early? I thought you'd be takin' the day off considering... well, you know."

"I couldn't sleep. I was just talkin' to... what the fuck? Where'd he go?" I asked in surprise as I turned around and saw that the stranger was gone. Looking all around, there was not a single sign that he'd even been here. Hell, I didn't even know his name.

"Where'd who go? I didn't see anybody when I pulled in."

"I swear that I was just talkin' to this guy. That's just fuckin' weird."

"It's okay, Tara. That happens sometimes when you lose someone you've been in the trenches with. Your mind starts playing tricks on you. I had people appear to me when I was in the VA hospital. One of my buddies, who died right next to me in a suicide bombing, came to say 'hey' a few times after he died. Good to see him and all, but it kind of freaked me out."

"Right," I said. I'm sure my face was showing my surprise at this confession. Terry had been in the original Gulf War and had come back somewhat damaged. He'd been doing better now that he and Arlene were dating. What he saw in that selfish bitch, I'll never know.

"Well, I'm going inside to clean up and get ready to open," said Terry as the sky started getting brighter. "You comin' in?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Maybe work will take my mind off of everything."

**(Lafayette)**

*beep* *beep* *beep*

"Keep it comin'. Come on. Just a few more feet. Hold it. Right there. That's good," someone yelled out from the front yard.

'_What the fuck?'_ I opened my eyes, squinting at the sunlight filling the living room. I didn't remember falling asleep on Sookie's sofa, but here I was covered with an ugly ass afghan that would make even Terry's favorite decorator, Christopher Lowell, cringe. I pulled off the afghan and padded over to the window to see what the hell was going on, yawning and stretching as I went.

After working on the road crew all these years, I recognized the sound of a service truck backing up. Sure enough, there was a large truck with a winch backed into the front yard hoisting up that nasty monstrosity. Another truck with a large bed was along side it, and the first truck was lowering the 'garbage' onto the other's bed.

"Holy fuck! This damned thing would puke a dog off a gut wagon. Where in the hell did it come from?" said the guy as he unhooked the winch. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

I watched as he bent over and lost his breakfast right on top of the garbage. Oh hell, I did _not_ need to see that this early in the morning.

"How the hell should I know. Oh come on, Harlan, ya pussy. Suck it up!" said the other truck driver. "We still got all that brush and shit to load on the truck."

Harlan raised up, wiping his mouth, and said, "Why don't you get of'n yer lazy ass and help me load up the rest? See how you like it."

That was it. I walked to the front door, opened it, and went down the steps and into the front yard. "Will you stupid rednecks shut the fuck up! There are women folk in da house that are tryin' to sleep. Hurry up and get on outta here."

"We had orders to clean this up first thing this morning," said Harlan. "Paid top price fer it too."

"That's fine and all, but y'all need to finish up and get on your way. Just keep it down out here."

"Yessir. We'll be as quick as we can. I don't know how long the guys working on the driveway will be."

"Driveway?" I asked.

"Yeah, there is a crew fixin' to repair it up right. Just fillin' in the holes and all."

I took in that bit of information and said, "Well, okay. Just see that you do," I turned to go but a thought occurred to me, and I turned back. "Excuse me. Who sent you to clean up the yard?"

"Hang on. Let me find the work order," said Harlan, scratching his butt as he walked back over to his truck and pulled out a clipboard. "Ah, here it is. Looks like an Eric Northman called in the work request and insisted that it be done today."

"W-what did you say?" I heard myself stammer. Just the name made me nervous and made my semi-morning wood jump. I'd have liked to blame it on the fact that I had to pee really bad but that wasn't the only reason.

"Eric Northman," repeated Harlan. "You know him?"

"Y-yeah, I know him. Wish to hell I didn't."

"Boy, he sure must really like y'all to pay that much for us to come over here today."

"Oh yeah. Eric, he real... uh fixated when he want something," I said, not quite able to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. "Carry on and keep it down out here." I turned and started toward the house. Fuck, I really needed to pee.

Something was off about the front of the house though. "Wait. What the hell? Where the fuck is my car?"

**(Sam)**

I had driven by the address that I had been given from the Merlottes. It was too early to call on them, so I pulled up the road a piece and decided to wait instead of checking into a motel. Besides, I didn't want to wake up in a motel room to another vampire blow job.

My real folks. I was finally going to meet them. I wondered what they were like and whether they were as bad as the Merlottes thought they were. I had to find out for myself. They were family. I needed to know more about where I came from and about my shifting ability. Were my parents shifters too? Why had they given me away?

I started at the sound of a gun being cocked and the feel of cold steel pointed into my chin. Shit! I must have dozed off.

"Don't move an inch!" the young man pointing the gun ordered. "When I count to three I want you to get out of the car slowly!"

"Alright. Alright. I'm getting out."

As I got out and closed the door behind me, he said, "What the hell are you doing parked outside our house?"

"I got in early on business and just pulled over. Must have dozed off."

"What kind of business do you have in this neighborhood?" asked the young man. I know I was staring, but he looked so much like me that he had to be my brother. It was like looking into a mirror when I was younger.

"I'm looking for the Mickens family. Do you know them?"

His hold on the gun wavered at my question. He finally replied, "I'm Tommy Mickens. That there's my house." He inclined his head toward his home. "Just what kind of business do you have with us?"

"That is something I need to discuss with your folks. Why don't you lower the gun, and we'll go talk to them together."

He thought about it for a short while then said, "Why don't you just walk on ahead of me to the house. My ma's probably up by now fixin' breakfast."

"Alright. If that's how you want to play it." As I started walking toward the house, I asked, "How long have you lived here, Tommy?"

"Why do you want to know?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'm just making conversation here and trying to be polite."

He didn't answer me but opened the screen door and motioned for me to enter. Inside I could smell bacon and other odors coming from the back of the house. Tommy called out, "Mama? We got company."

She came into the living room from the kitchen, wearing a printed dress and wiping her hands on her apron. When she saw me, she seemed slightly startled but said, "Hello."

As she came closer, Tommy said, "He says he has some business with us. I found him camped out in his car."

My palms started sweating as she stopped in front of me and looked up questioningly at me. "Do I know you? You look..." she asked as recognition started to dawn on her face. "Oh my Lord! You look just like my younger brother did when he was your age."

"Mama, who...?" Tommy started to say, then stopped when he saw his mother's face.

Her eyes had teared up, and she moved into me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and hugged me like she'd never let me go again. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again," she said.

I hugged her back. This was my mother. Regardless of the reason she gave me up, she was my blood and holding her felt like coming home.

"Who the hell is he, Mama?" asked Tommy, getting agitated at all the attention his mother was giving me.

She was crying as she pulled back, wiping her eyes. Looking at Tommy, she replied, "He's your brother."


	12. Chapter 12

**Trust Me**

**Chapter 12**

**(Bill)**

As she removed the hood from my head and I saw her for myself, my stomach clenched at her words. A sick feeling came over me. Sookie. "Where's Sookie? What have you done to her?" I demanded to know.

She smiled evilly and said, "Your plaything? Why, still at the restaurant, I suppose. The weres I hired were extremely remiss in their orders. They were supposed to take both of you. Shame really. I had so looked forward to playing with her myself while you watched. But that will have to wait until they can bring her to me."

My thoughts were racing at this news, but I forced myself not to react and said as evenly as I could, "Leave Sookie out of this! She has nothing to do with what is between you and I."

"Oh but she does. She has quite the mouth on her and disrespected me in front of you and in front of that entire nest in Dallas."

"If I remember correctly, you instigated that particular incident."

"I had to meet my competition. See for myself what kind of human woman could bring you to your knees and cause you to smash a plasma television over my head. What are you doing with that white trash? She is nothing."

"She is not white trash. Sookie is very..."

"Special? Just what is it that makes her so special, William? Eric Northman said she was something more than human. What would take you from your queen's side to live in that run down home of yours? What would interest the sheriff of your area? These are the questions that keep me from my daily rest."

"Keep that practice up, and you will eventually die," I said with all sincerity.

"You'd enjoy that, wouldn't you?" she said with no sense of humor whatsoever.

"Yes, I believe I would," I answered truthfully. "Really, what can you possibly gain by bringing me or Sookie here, Lorena?" I continued with the first thing that I could think of to save Sookie. "You do know that Eric Northman gave Sookie his blood since we last saw each other. He has a vested interest in her now, and she is under his protection. My feelings for her are no longer an issue for you. She is his."

"Really? So, you no longer love her?"

Hard as I tried not to respond to that, I must of flinched because she said, "You still want her don't you?"

"Enough of this. What does it matter? Sookie is now his. My feelings are no longer an issue. Besides, you released me. Where are we, by the way?" I asked, looking around.

"Oh William, you always were so naive," she said, walking closer and moving behind me. She leaned in and said, "I turned you so that you could spend eternity with me. I chose you very carefully. What is a mere 70 years or so apart? Surely just a short break. I always intended to make you come to me again."

I absorbed this news, then asked, "Seventy years is a short break?"

"For a vampire? Yes. After your theatrical display back then, I thought we needed some time apart. I might even have waited a bit longer before calling you, but your sheriff gave me the excuse I needed to reconnect with you." She fondled my neck before walking back in front of me.

"You have lost your mind. Why would you possibly want me back when I have told you that you are dead to me?"

"Precisely, darlin'. You have gotten so independent since I let you go. I believe you need to humble yourself before me, so you can remember who is your master," she said, vehemently.

"I will never do that. Surely you know that."

She laughed, crossed her arms in front of her, raised one finger to her lips and smiled. I did not like the sound of her laughter or that smile. Not one bit. It was one that I knew only too well.

She replied, "Really? I beg to differ with you, William."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She laughed and walked to the door. Opening it, she stood back as three men walked inside. If truth be told, it was actually two werewolves and a vampire.

As they moved further into the room, Lorena said, "I believe you already know Talbot. I thought you'd like to see your old friend. It has been so long since you've seen one another. These two gentleman," she said, pointing to the werewolves, "are your escorts."

"Bill, so lovely of you to come for a visit. It has been a long time. I've missed you, sweetie," said Talbot.

Realizing that I was probably now in Mississippi, I flinched as Talbot moved behind me and rubbed his hands down over my chest. If I still had working bowels, they would have complained noisily and expelled themselves at the feel of his hands on me again. I had never wanted to see _him_ again.

**(Sam)**

"Brother? Since when do I have a brother?" asked Tommy in a miff.

My mother pulled back from me and said, "Sit down, Tommy. Everyone, just sit down."

After we were seated, Melinda, my mother said, "I had Sam when I was a teenager but gave him away after he was born. I named him Sam and then arranged for the Merlottes to adopt him. They were more well to do. I knew they'd raise ya right. But tell us about you, Sam. What have you done with your life?"

I told them where I lived and worked and some things about my life but not everything. They didn't need to know everything.

"I'm sorry that you had to shift for the first time without knowing what was happening. That had to be scary for you, son."

"Whoopee fuckin' do," said Tommy.

"Don't be disrespectful of your brother, Tommy. I know this is a shock for you, but he is your full brother. You and him have the same daddy, Tommy." A look of horror crossed over her face. "Oh God, no! You have to git outta here, Sam, before Joe Lee gits back. I couldn't bear it if he got his hooks into you as well. At least one of my boys got away from his influence."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, perplexed. "I just found y'all, and you want me to leave? What's going on?"

"She's right, dude. You should leave. You've walked into a fucked up mess. Trust me, just leave!"

"That's twice now. Watch your language, Tommy," said my mother. "Ya know, we don't cotton to that 'round here."

"Sorry, mama," answered Tommy, giving me a glare.

"I'll leave, but first you need to tell me what the hell is going on."

My mother looked up at me and moved restlessly in her chair. "Your daddy. He's got this gambling problem. Bets on the horses. Fights. Sports. If you can name it, chances are he's bet on it."

"That's for damn sure," said Tommy. "He's also a mean, sadistic bastard when he's drunk."

"Does he beat you?" I asked.

"He was a good man once," she said, with her eyes getting a little dreamy with her reminiscence. "He just got in with the wrong crowd. A while back, he went to Mississippi to make a delivery. He overheard the men who unloaded his truck that there was an exclusive fight going down that night and did he want in. Got drunk as usual, so he went. He bet more'n he shoulda and lost. Turns out that the man running the fight was a vampire. A rich one."

"A vampire? Great! Just great! How come he got hooked up with them?" I asked.

"Seriously, dude you need to let her finish," Tommy said, tartly.

"I apologize. Please continue," I deferred to my mother.

"Your daddy owed so much that the owner of the fight spoke with him directly after it was over. We think he glamoured Joe Lee into telling him about us and our peculiar family trait. He made a terrible pact with the vampire concerning us."

"Yeah, he sold us out," interjected Tommy.

I felt a sinking feeling as they laid it all out for me, feeling myself getting sucked in, but couldn't seem to stop myself. "What kind of a deal did he make?"

"He sold us to the fight, dude," said Tommy, who apparently had decided to take over relaying the story. "It ain't just any old pussy fight neither. You have to fight whoever and whatever they say. You never know what yer gonna get. A bear, a wolf, a dog, a gater, a panther. Shifters and weres is what it is."

"You're shittin' me!" I said, simultaneously alarmed and disgusted. "They make you fight? Both of you? Jesus."

"If we don't, we're dead," replied Tommy, glancing at his, our mother. "The first night we were ordered to fight, the head vampire made us drink the blood of one of the vampires so that they could keep track of us. Even if we wanted to leave, they'd find us. They have a vampire who works for them who's a tracker. He's the one whose blood we had to drink. We ran once, but he found us. You don't want to mess with that asshole. He's a vicious sumbitch."

"They have a circular pit, sunk into the ground with a silver-plated cage covering the pit to keep us in. Damn vampires and their guests surround the pit and bet on, cheer, and shout at us as we fight. The way they act, you would think that we were gladiators in a Roman coliseum. I never wanted to be a fuckin' gladiator."

"You fight with swords and shields?" I asked, wondering how this could get any worse.

"Oh, they are there to use, but mostly they expect us to just shift and go at each other," stated Tommy.

"So, you have to go to Jackson to fight?" I asked.

"Sometimes. Other times we go to Atlanta, Birmingham or Memphis. There's this one in Vegas that I heard about. Had this big weretiger who supposedly fought his way out of the pit, I heard. He's working for some catering business now."

"How often do you have to fight?"

"Friday and Saturday nights mostly," answered my mother. "Joe Lee loads us up in the van and takes us to the location they specify."

"What can I do to help?" I asked.

"Nothing, dude. We're in this for life. You should leave now. That vampire that made us drink his blood? He's a tracker and a scout. He looks for supernatural creatures to fight in the pits. You don't want to meet him. Trust me."

"What's his name? This tracker?"

"Franklin Mott."

**(Sookie)**

"Sookie, will you marry me?" Bill asked.

"Yes, Sookie. Are you going to marry Bill?" mirrored Eric with a mocking grin.

I looked at both of the vampires and answered, "Bill, hold that thought. Eric, what the hell are you doing here? I didn't invite you here."

"Ah, but you did. You quite plainly invited me here as soon as Bill left."

"Bill didn't leave, Eric. What are you talking about?" I asked, getting irritated as I turned around to Bill. "Bill's right... "

"See?" he said as he lifted his eyebrows at me and grinned out of one side of his mouth. "He's gone. Abandoned you. It is just you and me now. Rightly so." He moved closer to me until I was backed up against the wall. "Now, let's discuss your attraction to me."

"I am not attracted to you, Eric. I love Bill."

"You do know that I've had your blood. I know when you are prevaricating. Your heart rate is up, and you are playing with your hair," he stated knowingly.

"Am not!" I denied as I dropped my hand away from my hair. "You just make me nervous, that's all. Where did you learn such a big word? You didn't strain yourself did you."

Eric laughed. For some reason, I liked the sound of it. He moved in closer and took my hands in both of his and placed them above my head on the wall. As he brushed against me, he said, "Your scent draws me in, Sookie. Why is that?"

"Hamburger grease and stale beer? Not sure what is so attractive about that."

"No, it is not that. Something else." His nose moved to my neck, then his lips latched onto my earlobe, drawing it into his mouth. I stifled a moan. I was not going to give in.

He put his tongue into the hollow of my ear, and I heard myself say, "Oh, God."

His laugh rumbled into my chest, up my neck to my ear or was that from my ear down to my chest? I wasn't sure which way was up right now.

"Surrender yourself to me, Sookie," he purred, lowering his voice in that husky way he had, as he moved his body fully up against mine so that I could feel his strength against my own elasticity. If either of us moved, I just might break. How was it even possible that I could be both fluid and brittle at the same time? Why didn't I feel that way with Bill?

"You know you want me as I want you." He moved himself more firmly against my stomach to press home his point, and I groaned. "Give in to it, Sookie. Let me show you how good it can be. You have seen most of me at Fangtasia, and I know you were pleased by what you saw. It is my turn. Let me see all of you."

"You might be able to go from one woman to the next, but I can't do that, Eric. I can't be with more than one person at a time."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, "Humans will never seem normal to you now, Sookie. You have aligned yourself with us, taken one of us to your bed, and tasted of our blood. With us you will stay. "

"I think I have some say in what I do with my life and who I see. It is _my_ life after all.

"True, but I think you underestimate your usefulness to us. More than that though is that you have caught my eye. I want you in my life on a personal level, and not just because you are human. I find that I... I need you."

"You need me? Are you serious?" I asked.

He looked hurt and a bit angry. "Don't undervalue what I tell you. It isn't easy for me to trust. Godric and Pam are the only two people that I have trusted since I was turned. I am putting myself in your hands," he said as he placed my hands so they were around his neck.

Surprising myself, I responded to the feel of him.

"Give in to it, Sookie. Surrender yourself to me," he said passionately as his lips swooped down onto mine, and I lost myself in him.

He broke his lips from mine to whisper in my ear, "Sookie."

"Sookie. Sookie, wake the fuck up!" I heard Lafayette say.

"What the... Lafayette, what are you doing in here?"

"I'm sorry, hookah, but you were sleeping like the dead."

"What's wrong? What is that noise?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. Right now you needs to know that Tara's gone. She took my car and left in the middle of the night."

"Shit!" I exclaimed as I got out of bed and started searching for something to wear. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. What is wrong with her?"

"She is still strung out from Maryann's influence and losing Eggs. Don't know where the fuck she is. I thought maybe you'd have insight on that."

"Me? Why would I... shit. How many times do I have to tell y'all. I am NOT a psychic. I can't predict things or act as a divining rod to find them!"

"Sorry, Sook. Didn't mean to... I's just worried about Tara. She about the only family I got left in this world worth anything. Her mama is a pathetic piece of shit. If I never see her again, it will be too soon."

The noise outside got louder, and I went out into the living room to look at the window as Lafayette trailed along behind me. "What is going on out there?"

"Folks be cleaning up your front yard. That's what. Removing that fucked up bizness that Maryann left behind."

"Oh good, because it sure stinks. Bill must have arranged it to surprise me..." I started but then heard Lafayette's thoughts.

_Bill, my ass. Naw, baby girl. Eric did it to get into your pants. When are you gonna learn?_

"Eric, arranged this? Eric?"

Lafayette looked startled. "I didn't say... shit. You read my fuckin' mind, didn't you? You needs to stay outta there. There are things in there that you don't need to know about."

"Like what?"

_Like Eric forcing me to... Oh hell, she's hearing me again. Think about something else._

"Just what is Eric making you do, Lafayette?"

"Get out of my head, Sookie!" Lafayette ordered as I felt him lock himself down. Boy, he really had some control.

"I wasn't in there on purpose, but you were projecting it out there. Just what is Eric making you do?"

"Never you mind. You're getting off track here."

"Very well. Did you try Tara's cell phone?"

"Uh, no. My cell phone is in my fuckin' car."

"I do have a phone in the kitchen. You could have used that."

"Oh, well... hell. I got so used to cell phones it done fucked up my brain. What WAS I thinkin'."

"Don't be a smartass. Just give her a call. I need to take a quick shower. I'm supposed to be at work soon."

"You do that. I'll just be moseying into the kitchen. I hear there is a phone in there."

"Ha! Very funny," I chuckled, walking toward the bathroom.

I heard Lafayette say under his breath, "Bitch."

I knew he meant it affectionately and called out, "I heard that."

Later that day, after Lafayette and I had made sure that Tara was okay, we were all at work. I was trying to concentrate on my job and not the fact that I was worried to death about Bill. It wasn't as easy as I thought. Too many thoughts were being thrown at me and I was having trouble keeping them out.

Jane Bodehouse, drinking her lunch, was worried about her finger not healing very well and wondered if she really had let Mike Spencer take her from behind. Across the room, Mike Spencer had been to the doctor himself because he still had splinters in his... Oh my God! I don't want to know about that. I closed my eyes and concentrated to shut them all out. When I felt more in control, I opened my eyes and thought about something else.

I had certainly enjoyed driving on my much improved driveway earlier. It wasn't a brand new paved driveway like I had wanted, but it was a vast improvement over the way it had been the night before and would last me a while. I wish Bill had been the one who'd thought of it first. I didn't like owing Eric. Maybe I could use that money to help get my house cleaned up a little faster. It sure was taking me a long time to clean up. Like I really had time to clean it up.

Had Eric really helped me out just to get into my pants like Lafayette believed or did he merely value my ability? He'd better not think that I would sleep with him just because he'd done something nice for me.

No, surely he wouldn't do that. I know Eric was definitely attracted to me. In lust, actually, but he didn't love me like Bill did. I think he considers me as a challenge. I so did not need to be thinking about Eric right now. I was so confused and worried about Bill that I was having trouble keeping myself grounded. Eric was complicating things.

I wonder if Jessica... "Shit, oh shit," I said aloud. I had totally forgotten about Jessica. "I have to call Eric."

During my next break, I called Eric's cell phone and told him that Jessica was all by herself and might need looking after. "I'll go check on her tonight after I get off work, but I think y'all should keep her with you until Bill gets back. Anyway, just wanted you to know. Did you find anything out about Bill yet? Let me know, okay? I... I... thank you, Eric. For the yard and the driveway. You didn't have to do that, but I do appreciate it. Anyway, I have to run. I have tables to wait on."

After the sun set for the day, I got a text from Eric. "Wait 4 Pam. Don't go alone. Fill you in on Bill later."

Does he think Jessica would hurt me? I hardly think so. She knows me well, and I've never felt like she would harm me in any way though she could have if she had wanted to.

I wonder where Jason is. I haven't seen him all day. I just hope he is using his brain for a change.

**(Jason–earlier that day)**

Oh my fucking head! Where the hell am I? I looked around and realized that I was in a pile of bodies strung all over a king-sized bed in what looked to be a hotel room. Three chicks and... another dude? Shit! What the fuck did I do last night?

I know I went to Hooligans and tipped one of the a waitresses with a fiver by slowly stuffing it down her cleavage. I remember drinking at least four beers, so who knows how many I actually had after that. I remember watching some pretty hot chicks dancing on the stage and tipping them. Three of them were now asleep in the bed. Wish I could remember how they'd felt and tasted while fucking them. The dude I didn't want to even think about.

Where's my cell phone? I had it on me last night when I was at Merlottes. "Oh fuck me..." I said aloud.

Memories of the night before came down on me hard like a... like a... rock. Or is that...Yeah, like a rock. I'd killed Eggs, and fucking Andy had covered my ass. I owed him big time. All those times I'd been accused of it and didn't do it, and now I'd actually gone and done it, and they probably wouldn't even suspect me. Well, Andy would, but he's covering for me.

Man, I really gotta pee. I extry-cated myself from the pile of limbs and titties and went into the bathroom and took a really long piss. Damn that felt good.

In the shower, with the water running down my body, I keep seeing Eggs lying there on the ground with his head resting in a pool of blood and lost it. When my legs wouldn't support me no more, I slid down until my ass was on the shower bottom and just sobbed.

**(Pam)**

When I arrived at Merlottes, I paid Lafayette a visit to see how the sales were going. He wasn't pleased to see me, but he said sales were up. I toyed with him for a bit just because it was fun, then I pocketed the money he gave me and went to look for Sookie.

When I didn't see her, I asked the young woman behind the bar if she had seen her. "Sookie? She left about twenty minutes ago. Went to Bill's to check on Jessica."

"She did, did she? I thought Eric told her to wait until I got here."

"I don't know anything about that, but she was worried about her."

"What's your name?" I asked, noticing that the young woman had lovely breasts.

"Tara," she replied.

"Tara, huh. If I didn't have to leave right now, I would stay to buy you a drink and get to know you a little better."

"Uh, no, really, that's not necessary. Last thing I need to do is drink."

"Pity," I said, giving her a little twisted smile. I chuckled when I saw her eyes get wider.

She said, "You know you might want to check on her like right now because those four bikers that left just before you arrived were looking for her too. I called her cell to let her know, but it went to voice mail."

"Bikers?" I asked, now that she had my full attention. "What bikers?"

"There were four of them. Big, burly assholes with lots of leather, tattoos and shit. I called her cell to let her know, but it went to voice mail."

I whipped out my cell phone as I hustled out of Merlottes and called Eric to tell him about the bikers.

He replied, "I'm already half-way there. Get to Compton's as fast as you can."

**(Sookie)**

I got tired of waiting around for Pam. Besides, I knew Jessica wouldn't hurt me so I left after my shift ended.

On my way to Bill's, I saw some oddly placed headlights behind me. Couldn't be a car because the lights were weaving and not fixed like a car's headlights. I finally heard the roar of the motorcycles as they got closer.

"Shit!" I said aloud as one of them pulled up along side of me and leered.

"Fuck!" I exclaimed aloud.

The biker laughed as he glanced back at the other bikers and then howled. I sped up as fast as I could and got ahead of them and pulled into Bill's, squealing my tires to a halt as I slammed on the brakes. I could hear them pulling in behind me as I ran up the steps and started banging on the door, calling, "Jessica!"

I fumbled with my keys, trying to find Bill's house key, as the biker who had been alongside of me earlier started up Bill's steps.

I pounded on the door again, yelling, "Jessica, let me in." In my panic, I dropped my keys onto the porch and turned around to face the biker with my back against the door.

"Well, well, well. You are fuckin' hot, darling. You must be Sookie with your uniform and all."

"How do you know my name?" I asked.

"Never you mind, sugar. Right now, you need to come with us."

"And why in the world would I do that?" I said, feeling my courage coming back.

"Because we're not givin' you a choice," said a second biker walking up the steps to stand with the first guy. His hair was dark and wavy, falling down his neck to his collar, and he had a full salt and pepper beard. The first man, who appeared to be their authority figure, had short-cropped sandy hair and looked like he hadn't shaved in two weeks.

The door opened behind me, and Jessica caught me before I fell backwards. She said, "What the fuck, Sook... what's going on out here, Sookie?"

I swallowed hard and said, "Well, these men want me to go with them, and I really don't want to go. You think you can do something about that?"

Jessica walked in front of me, and I saw her fangs come down as she passed me. She hissed at them, "She ain't goin' nowhere with you, mister. I suggest you leave. Right now."

"Really? Just who do you think you are going up against the four of us, little lady?"

"A vampire who hasn't fed tonight. That's who. Now leave."

They both started laughing, and the two others, now coming toward the house as well, joined in.

"And just what do you think you are going to do, sweet cheeks? You're outnumbered."

The two men still standing on the ground in front of the house started removing their clothing, and I know that my eyes got bigger as they shucked their pants. As soon as their clothing was gone, they shimmered a bit, and two large wolves stood in their place.

"Fuck! Fuck!" exclaimed Jessica.

"Now whatchu gonna do, vamper?" said Mr. Short-cropped hair. "Think you can take us all on?"

"Any bright ideas now, Sookie?" asked Jessica, her voice lowered so that only I could hear.

"No, I think we're up shit crick without a paddle," I replied for lack of a better comeback.

"Like that's helpful," said Jessica as we both watched the other two bikers begin to shuck their clothes as well. "I got an idea."

Jessica grabbed my arm, and before I could respond, we were inside Bill's house, and Jessica had pushed the piano in front of the door.

I moved closer to Jessica, and she put her arms around me as the howling began. We both said simultaneously, "Shit!"

**A/N: **Sorry for the long delay. Been busy on the TB wiki making updates lately. I started writing this right after chapter 11 and finally got the last part cranked out. Enjoy.


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